If you love me, please don't go
by maia morris
Summary: Kim is bored and lonely in her town, and wants to get out. She's terrified of falling in love. Then Jack comes along. KICK and some JACE
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer- I don't own Kickin' it

KIM'S POV-

I woke up with the sun in my eyes. The same sun that has been blaring through my window for 12 years. I internally sighed, finally opening my brown eyes, which flickered and rolled to glare at my not quite shut blinds. I rolled myself on to my elbows and ran a hand carelessly through my wavy blonde locks. I surveyed my bedroom walls, which were covered in numerous posters of my favorite bands. I quickly drifted back into my state of mind and turned my attention to my clock that read 7.30AM. 

"Shit." I mumbled out loud as I threw myself out of bed onto the floor, walking- okay, tripping over myself all the way to the bathroom. Not exactly the most coordinated person in the morning. Or ever. I snapped back into focus, remembering that I just got a job at the local coffee shop and I couldn't be late for my first day. I quickly grabbed some jeans and a floral shirt and changed. Grace would never have let me be late for my first day, I thought, pulling on my jeans. I mentally cursed myself for not having my best friend sleepover last night. I brushed my teeth and put on a little bit of makeup, put on my black beanie and grabbed my bag. By the time I was out the door of my apartment, the clock read 7.45. _Record time, _I smirked to myself. I hit the down button on the elevator, and just when the doors started closing, a sweatshirt-sleeve covered arm jut out and stopped the doors before they shut. A tall, shaggy brown haired boy walked in, holding a skateboard and flashing me a smile. _Wow, he's cute_, I thought to myself whilst smiling back at him. He must also be new to the apartment complex, because I've never seen him before. And I would definitely recognize him if I saw him. I glanced back at him again. He was staring straight ahead with his headphones in, slightly bobbing his head when he caught me staring and smiled again. "Hey" he said in an adorable way, his voice kind of cracking but not really in the puberty sense.

"Hi." I quietly said back. I'm not very good around boys anymore- not since Connor... I shook those nasty thoughts out of my head. No use in crying, it was all over now. The elevator dinged open and just when I was about to step through, the boy walked out, turning around and saying "Catch you later" before winking and walking through the doors. I mustered a pathetic 'bye' and waved. I was hopeless with boys now. I needed help. I made a mental note to go to the coffee shop where Grace worked and have a heart to heart with her. I love her, and now that we're newly graduating juniors, we're making all kinds of plans for the future. Pushing through the front doors, I squinted up at the bright sun harshly illuminating my eyes and started walking towards the coffee shop. The sun was such a drag.

I'll give you a little rundown about me - My name is Kim Crawford. I live in Seaford, and I have my entire life. I'm a second degree black belt, and I'm sixteen years old. I hate it here. My mom always used to tell me I have a chameleon soul... Not belonging anywhere, always changing. I want to leave Seaford and live my life somewhere else. My parents are both scientists that travel around South America curing diseases. Noble and shit, right? I see them once every four weeks, so I'm always alone unless Grace, who's been my best friend since we were seven, comes over. We're inseperable, she's been there for me through all my tough times, like when my dojo shut down, or when my ex 'boyfriend' used me for two years and then threw me away like I was yesterdays newspaper. It's been really rough the past few years, I've just been getting by, nudging my feelings into the back of my mind and pretending I like not having emotions. But I feel numb. And helpless. And I feel that if I don't get out soon, I may go insane.


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer- I don't own Kickin' It or anything with a little *

JACK'S POV-

I walked around the hardwood floor, focusing on the dull clack my feet made every time I took a step while I searched the cabinets for my aunt's medicine. She had just woken up and was calling for me. I had already been up for at least two hours, i'm not really much of a sleeper. _There, _I thought to myself triumphantly when I spied the orange medicine bottle in the back of the cupboard. I placed two of the small pills in my hand and made my way to my aunt's room.

"Hey Auntie Sheila. I have your medicine." I called out softly to the hunched figure sitting in the bed.

"Good morning Jackie," she called back out. I had been taking care of my aunt for the past two years, after the seventeen she had been taking care of me. My parents gave me to her because they wanted freedom, and she had been like my mother ever since. Two years ago, she was diagnosed with Alzheimer's. It was tough, but she's a fighter. We had recently moved into this apartment because we couldn't afford to keep the house, as much as we tried.

After I give her the medicine, I help her into her favorite sitting chair and put on Oprah*, which she had been watching for the past eight years. I quietly grabbed my hat and skateboard and slipped out the door. I looked at my phone and turned on my music. The tiny digital clock read 7:45am. I was running late, as I broke out into a small jog, Jerry was going to kill me. Jerry is my best friend. We skateboard together, he's an aspiring photographer so he likes to take his camera everywhere. He's the coolest person ever, we do everything together. He plays bass in our band, Induced. I sing and play guitar. I suddenly remember that we have a gig tonight and my body felt like it had been coated in a cold sweat of nervousness. I finally reached the elevator, and just as the metal doors were about to touch, I threw my arm out and stopped them. I stepped inside. When I looked at who was inside, my breath felt like it was knocked out of me. The most beautiful girl stood inside, staring straight ahead. She had long blonde hair and gorgeous deep brown eyes. I shook myself out of the daze, and said "Hey." My voice cracked a little bit and I winced. I always do that when i'm nervous.

"Hi." She said back quietly. I was in a trance. Who was this girl? Where did she come from? What's her name? I mulled over the questions and their possible answers and drifted into subconsciousness while transfixed on the buttons of the elevator. I needed to know who this girl was! I was brought back to my state of mind when the elevator let out a perky 'DING!'. I stepped out of the elevator, and turned around to face this beautiful mystery girl. "Catch you later," winking as I said it to her. Was that smooth? Do I seem like a douchebag now? Oh God, why did I wink? I thought as I pushed through the doors. My phone started playing a little singing ringtone, so I pulled it out and checked the caller ID, thinking it would probably be Jerry. It wasn't. It was Samantha, my 'girlfriend'.

"Hello?" I asked cautiously.

"Where the HELL are you?" A screechy voice replied.

I sighed internally. Samantha was a pain in the ass. And in all honesty, she technically wasn't even my girlfriend. It was a bad situation, all I knew was that I never loved her, and now i'm starting to get sick of it. I snapped my phone shut. I was starting to get sick of everything, to be honest. I'm supposed to do something big, travel the world, etc. But i'm stuck here with a psychotic girl who clings to me like lint on a dark sweater, and my sweet old aunt who's health has been progressively getting worse every day. I dropped my skateboard on the ground. I wonder what the girl on the elevator wants to do with her life...

By the way, my names Jack Brewer. I'm seventeen and a second degree black belt. I've lived in Seaford for fifteen years, and i'm planning/constantly daydreaming about the day I finally leave... if that day ever even comes.

**authors note-**

**hey y'all. hope you guys like it so far. i'm going to alternate jack/kim telling the story, and i will be updating it every monday and wednesday (i hope that's okay, i have a lot of summer homework to do and i'll be updating more once i'm finished with it) please review and leave your comments and suggestions! thanks! xo maia**


	3. Chapter 3

disclaimer- i don't own kickin' it :( or anything else with a * by it.

KIM'S POV-

When I finally arrived at the coffee store, I found Grace already behind the counter, serving cappuccinos and chocolate chip cookies to the waiting customers. When she turned towards the door and saw me walk in, she lifted a disapproving eyebrow and smirked. I rolled my eyes at her and checked the clock. Five minutes late. Grace gets so pushy about these things. I grabbed my apron and joined her in the kitchen.

"Nice to see you finally drop in, Crawford." Grace said sarcastically while pouring more cream into the containers.

"Bite me, Johnson." I retorted, rolling my eyes playfully and bumping her hip with mine as I went to go serve the table nearest me. As I walked back to grab some old lady's coffee, Grace reached out and grabbed my arm.

"Are you going to the Tractor tonight? Some local band is playing at midnight, it's supposed to be really good." The Tractor is our local music venue, Grace and I like to go there on Fridays to listen to music.

"I'm not sure yet. Why are you?" I asked her.

"No, I've got summer homework to do." Grace answered, pantomiming a gun next to her forehead. I grinned. Summer had just started, and Grace was already worried about homework. Later on, I decided that I may as well go tonight, seeing as though I couldn't stand the thought of sitting alone on another Friday night watching reruns of Criminal Minds* and gorging myself on chocolate ice cream. I sighed. I was ready to get my car and go. Go to New York City. That was my city destination of choice. I was going to get an apartment, a job at a local store or become a waitress, and just spend the rest of my life roaming around the city. And when I was done with New York, I would leave to LA. Or London. Or Paris. My soul is free, and I hate being locked up in a single space. Grace teases me and calls me a hippie for all my inner peace shit. And I can't help but agree.

I finished work at six, so I had a few hours to kill before I went to see the new hot band that was playing. I walked around a bit, visited my old friend Milton who was working in a local planetarium. Milton and I are the same age, but he left for college way earlier than anyone else did. He was the smartest person in town. I met him through karate, we both went to the same dojo. After I stopped in for a quick talk, I went to McDonald's and then home to take a nap. When I woke up, the clock read 11.30pm. I rolled out of bed, all disheveled and not caring. I do this all the time, roll out of bed, disoriented and not caring at all what I look like. I walked towards the bathroom and splashed water on my face and brushed my teeth. I grabbed my keys and a sweater and began walking outside towards the venue. It was cold, despite it being summer. I wrapped my jacket around me a little tighter and exhaled deeply, my breath making a huge puffy cloud. When I finally arrived there, the band had already started playing. I leaned against the back wall entrance and watched the band. The venue was a small brick space, with a stage and lights and enough space to stand and dance, but it was close enough to the stage that you could clearly see each band member. They seemed to be playing the type of music I listen to, pop punk-ish but a little heavier. I studied the faces of the band members. There was a tall Hispanic playing bass, a drummer who's hair was dyed green and went all the way down to his butt, and the frontman was singing and playing guitar, and had shaggy, brown hair and- HOLY CRAP. My mind did a little backflip as I stepped closer to get a better view. Was that- It was! The lead singer was the boy from the elevator! Just as I made this stunning realization, Elevator Boy spoke into the microphone,

"Hey everyone! Thanks for coming out tonight to see us! We're Induced, and we'll be playing here next Wednesday, same time!" His voice called out to us. The crowd cheered, and then started to file out. I walked out with them, but stopped near a water fountain to grab my phone out of my bag to call Grace and tell her about the band. Just as I pulled my phone out, a strong hand reached out to grab my shoulder. I jumped, surprised, and looked up. It was Elevator Boy, smiling and laughing at my jumpiness. I grinned back, unsure. Then he spoke.

"Hey, I'm Jack. Sorry to scare you, I saw you while I was playing and I was pretty sure I saw you this morning." He said. His voice was nice and deep.

"Yeah, that was me. I recognized you too.. Oh, I'm Kim, by the way." I stammered back holding out my hand. Jack shook it.

"Are you new to the building?" I asked him.

"Yeah, I am. I just moved in with my-" He was cut off by a girly squeal that emanated from the mouth of a black haired girl with brown eyes. She was very pale and wore a lot of makeup, and her painted on smile immediately became a frown when she noticed me standing so close to Jack.

"Jackie, who is this?" She asked unkindly.

"This is Kim. I met her this morning." Jack turned to me. "This is Samantha. A.. friend."

"I'm your GIRLFRIEND." She screamed. She then turned to me. "Keep your man hands off my boyfriend, got it, blondie?" She sneered at me. I gave her a look that said 'keep your man hands and every other part of you far away from me, crazy.' But then I noticed something. A few things actually. I noticed how Jack almost looked pained to have seen her. I also noticed something inside of me. Was it.. No. It couldn't be jealousy. Could it? I barely knew this kid. Still... Jack waved back at me helplessly from the unyielding grip of his crazy 'girlfriend'. I waved back, smirking. I then turned on my heel and walked out of the building and back to my apartment, thinking of the strange feelings that were happening in my head.

**authors note-**

**hey y'all. hope you liked the chapter. made it extra long. jack's pov will be coming on wednesday, so hold on for that. leave your comments/suggestions below. thanks! **


	4. Chapter 4

disclaimer- i don't own kickin' it. wish i did. but alas. i also don't own anything with a * by it.

JACK'S POV-

I swerved and glided my way through Seaford on my skateboard, jamming out to whatever my music shuffle decided to play. It was a nice day, sunny but a little bit cold too. I turned on to Shell Street and stopped myself when I reached the skate park. A group of my friends were already there, and they called out to me in a chorus of 'hey's' and 'whattup's'. I lifted my hand in greeting and jogged over to Jerry.

"You're late, bro." Jerry said, crossing his arms over his chest and giving me a glare that reminded me of a look that my Aunt Sheila used to give me. I gave Jerry a big stupid smile and he just rolled his eyes, grabbed his camera and told me to 'get moving.' Jerry likes to take pictures of the city and shit like that, and I always go with him because he tells me all the time that he 'sees interesting things wherever I go.' Me and Jerry have known each other since we were ten, we did karate together, skated together, slept over at each other's houses when one of our families were going crazy. He's like my brother.

As we walked down Main Street, we talked about little things, like girls or family or boring shit like that. He asked me if I was ready for our gig tonight, and just as I was about to answer, my voice was interrupted by an annoyed, high pitched fake cough.

"Jackie." A terribly nasal voice echoed into my ears. _I hate that name, _I thought to myself. Jerry and I turned around and faced Samantha.

"Yes?" I asked her, dreading every moment of this conversation as it was about to happen. Samantha is not my girlfriend- she likes to think she is. Her dad and my uncle go way back, and I had known Samantha since I was a kid. Ever since her dad helped us out with the new apartment, Samantha has felt like I owe her or some crap like that. Her dad's really cool, it's his daughter that's a psycho.

"I just thought you should know that we're going on a date tonight. You're going to take me somewhere classy. Because we're dating." She stated, inspecting her nails and juggling shopping bags on each arm. Jerry rolled his eyes.

"Actually, Samantha, I have a gig tonight. So no. We will not go on a date. Because I don't want to go on a date with you. And we are not dating." I retorted.

"A gig? Tonight? EEEE! See you then Jackie!" She trilled in that horrible voice. She hugged me in that weird awkward hug stance she always does and then teetered away on her ridiculously high heels.

"See you then Jackie! EEE! God, why do you put up with that?" Jerry shot at me as we began walking again.

"I can't just tell her to buzz off, she'll go insane." I answered. My life is bad right now. Not bad really. I'm just bored. I want to leave. Skate on the Great Wall of China. That kinda stuff. We walked in silence for some time, Jerry took photos while I admired the tall buildings surrounding us and the sweet, salty smell that was emerging from the ocean. Summers in Seaford came quickly. It was kind of like 5 weeks of summer, then an immediate transition into fall. It would be getting cold soon. I focused on the sound of Jerry's shutter going off until he said,

"Okay, I think I got everything for this week. See you tonight bro." We fistbumped and he headed off in the opposite direction.

The hours between Jerry and I saying goodbye to Jerry and I meeting up at The Tractor were a blur. I think I slept most of them, ate stuff, wandered around. I do that a lot, do stuff without even realizing what i'm doing. My mind drifts away often, leaving me to think about my parents and my aunt who's health is going down the drain and probably doesn't have much time left. I blinked tears away from my eyes before they could fall. I like to focus on the positive. And right now I have a show to play. I walked into the venue and saw Jerry and our drummer, Chris, already setting up. Chris dyed his hair lime green along time ago, making Jerry and I wince every time we see it. But he's a good drummer, and that's really all that matters. The crowd started to line in, We played a pretty good show, if I do say so myself. Midway into our last song, I looked up to see the door open and a pretty blonde girl walk in. I almost choked, it was the girl from the elevator! I analyzed her gorgeous face. She seemed to be studying Jerry and Chris, and then her eyes flipped to me. Her brown eyes grew wide, and I stared back but we never quite made eye contact. I think she recognized me too though. God, why does she have to be so flawless? I have to meet her. Just then, the song ended. I called out into the microphone,

"Hey everyone! Thanks for coming out tonight to see us! We're Induced, and we'll be playing here next Wednesday, same time!"

I started packing things up as the crowd cheered and started to leave. My band and I have a history of packing our gear up in record time, so we were done before we knew it. I hopped off the stage and ran to the front, trying to spot this beautiful stranger. I caught sight of the top of a blonde head rummaging through her handbag. I walked over to her and stood in front of her for about five seconds before I reached out and touched her shoulder to bring myself to her attention. She jumped, startled, and I couldn't help but laugh at the scared, yet adorable expression on her face. She smiled back at me, and I took that as an invitation to start the conversation.

"Hey, I'm Jack. Sorry to scare you, I saw you while I was playing and I was pretty sure I saw you this morning." I listened to my voice and internally rolled my eyes at the awkward sounds I made.

"Yeah, that was me. I recognized you too.. Oh, I'm Kim, by the way." Kim gave me the cutest smile and I noticed she had a slight dimple in one of her cheeks. Then I noticed that she was holding out her hand. I shook it. Her hands were small and warm. _Jesus, _I thought to myself, _This girl is something else._

"Are you new to the building?" She asked me.

"Yeah, I just moved in with my-" My voice was stopped by a horrible squeal of delight. How many freaking times is my voice going to get cut off today?! I turned to see Samantha glaring at Kim. _Oh no, not the jealousy thing.._

"Jackie, who is this?" Her nasal voice bounced off the walls of the room.

"This is Kim. I met her this morning." I glanced back at Kim. "This is Samantha. A... friend."

"I'm your GIRLFRIEND." Samantha squawked. She then turned to Kim. "Keep your man hands off my boyfriend, got it, blondie?" Kim just stared at her like "_Are you kidding me..?"_ I had had enough. Samantha was a huge bitch and she didn't even know Kim. Before I could say anything, Samantha gripped my wrist and pulled me away from Kim. I waved a goodbye to Kim, feeling a pained expression come over my face. Samantha pulled me into a dark corner and put her hands on my chest.

"Now, we can finally be alone." Samantha whispered to me, leaning up to kiss me. I grabbed her hands off me and pulled away from her.

"What you did back there was not cool. Now listen to me Samantha. We were never dating, and we never will date. I want you to leave me alone. Like seriously. Leave. Me. Alone." I cried angrily back at her. Samantha's stunned face quickly turned into a look of outrage. She stomped her foot and pushed me out of the way.

"I hate you, Jack Brewer!" She wailed, storming out of the door.

Call me a bad person, but it was like an entire weight was lifted from my shoulders. She wouldn't be bothering me anymore. Bless my soul. I went back to meet the guys and get home to Aunt Sheila, but all I could think about was how Kim's smile warmed me down to the core, or how her hand fit in mine perfectly. I needed her in my life. And that was final.

**authors note-**

**i'm thinking about using saturday as an update day too. so look for chapters on monday/wednesday/saturday. also i messed it up cause i thought sunday was monday so i accidentally posted the last chapter on sunday. oh well! it's also my 15th birthday tomorrow :)))) yay. please comment/review! thanks! xoxox maia**


	5. Chapter 5

disclaimer- i don't own kickin' it, or anything with a little * by it.

KIM'S POV-

I sat at my wooden coffee table, drinking tea and watching Oprah*. It was Saturday morning. It's been four Saturdays. That means my parents are back in town for the weekend, which meant two days of catching up before they left me yet again to trek off to Malaysia or Peru or wherever duty called them. I missed them all the time. When I was younger, they did everything they could to be good parents, and I understood. They were international heroes. They saved children and gave them better lives. I wish they had been there for mine though. I stood up, stretched, and went to go set my cup in the sink. It was going to be a long day.

After I had taken a shower and gotten dressed, it was practically time to get my parents from the airport. I walked out of my apartment and locked it behind me. My mind drifted back to last night, and Jack. The way his eyes crinkled when he smiled, and the way his hand felt on my shoulder and in my hand. I was definitely feeling something, by the way my stomach fluttered when I thought about him. I also found it strange that my body didn't immediately react to an unexpected touch; I've been a third degree black belt for more than half my life, and all of a sudden some boy who I don't even know comes in and it's like i've completely forgotten all my training. It's almost if he belongs with me. _Whoa,_ I thought, almost stopping in my tracks. _You don't know this kid, and you're currently not having the best boy luck. Remember Connor? Yeah, don't want to repeat that again. _Stupid Connor, using me to get to stupid Shannon. I loved Connor. He was my first love. But it turned out to be a one sided deal. Approaching the elevator, I hit the down button with one finger and waited for the doors to open. When they finally did, guess who stepped out.

"Hey Kim!" A very enthusiastic Jack broke out into a huge grin.

"Hi Jack." I couldn't help but smile back at him.

"I've been meaning to talk to you. About stuff," He stood kind of awkwardly with his hands shoved in his pockets, "I wanted to apologize for last night, first of all. Samantha was never my girlfriend. She wasn't even a friend. I'm sorry she treated you like that last night and i'm even sorrier that I didn't step in."

My heart almost exploded. This was the cutest thing I had ever heard. I quickly interjected "Oh gosh, it's no problem. I thought it was kind of funny actually. I didn't know girls like that actually existed."

Jack's smile returned. "Okay cool, I just wanted to make sure. And also, I was wondering if you, um, wanted to like, hang out some time? I really want to get to know you better." He looked down at his shoes, his face scrunched up in an "_Oh God what did I do"_ kind of way.

"Of course we can hang out! I want to get to know you better too!" I practically exclaimed. _Whoa there Kim, _my conscience spoke, _let's not forget our little chat before we got into the elevator._

"Cool, so can I have your number? You know, so we can like get the details and stuff."

"Sure." I gave him my number, careful to write out each number clearly instead of my usual nervous scribble. After we said goodbye, I stepped into the elevator. Once the doors were closed, I fisted the air. _YES!_ I had to tell Grace. She would be ecstatic that I wasn't still moping over Connor. I was excited now. And even... happy.

An hour later, I stood at the airport terminal, anxiously waiting for my parents to walk down the ramp and into my open arms. I surveyed the faces of the passing crowds, the tired faces of the old and the young walking towards the exit, the tears running down the faces of the reunited friends and family, the headphone wearing passengers-to-be waiting for their airplane to swoop in and take them to their destination. These people had lives, families, stories to tell. But all I could see were their exteriors. All of a sudden, I felt a presence near me. I jumped to action and flipped around fast, facing my parents. They started laughing once they saw my movements and 'terror face,' as they like to call it. I immediately dropped my stance and grinned big, embracing them.

"Mom, Dad, I missed you guys!" I spoke into their shoulders.

"We missed you too Kimmy." They spoke in unison. My parents weathered faces were tanned and lined with age, but they were still young to me. We all grabbed hands and walked out of the airport.

During the drive back to the apartment, my mom turned around to look at me, a troubled smile appearing on her face. My heart dropped. I knew this face. It was her 'so... got some bad news' face.

"So... Got some bad news," My mom sighed nervously. _Nailed it, _I thought. "Your father and I have a convention this weekend, so we'll be staying in a hotel near the convention hall, not the apartment. But we will still see you tonight and tomorrow."

My face must have dropped completely or something, because mom reached out and squeezed my knee.

"Hey," She whispered, "I'm so sorry. This isn't fair on you at all, and your father and I will make it up to you."

I nodded my head, trying to ignore the threatening pinch of tears behind my eyes and mustered a smile. They had to do this. My mom faced the front again and I turned and stared out the window for the rest of the car ride.

Six hours later, I threw myself onto my bed and cried, not caring how loud I was or if the people above me or beside me could hear my every wailing sob. I cried for my parents. But mostly I cried for myself, and my aloneness. Why? Where did I go wrong? Am I just normally this spaced out from people? I tried to remember what I was like before and while I was dating Connor. I was happier, interactive. I've shut myself out of the world because i'm too afraid. In fact, if I didn't have Grace, i'd probably be completely alone. I cried myself to sleep that night, my last thought being that i'd be happy soon, hopefully.

**authors note-**

**hey guys. thanks to everyone who wished me a happy birthday. i hope you liked this chapter. i just have to tell you that i'm going through a really rough time right now and i'm really depressed, but i will try to update as much as possible. please comment/review. thanks xoxoxox maia**


	6. Chapter 6

disclaimer- i don't own kickin' it or anything else with a little * by it.

also, little authors note, Kim and jack both did karate with rudy at bobby wasabi dojo, but in this story they were in different classes. i also think i made a mistake in the first two chapters. Kim and jack are both third degree black belts.

JACK'S POV-

The entire time I spent in the shower was basically prep time. Prepping to ask Kim to hang out with me, that is. Believe it or not, I was nervous. I was shaking even though the water was hot. I've never even felt this way about a girl before. It was scary and exciting at the same time. I also was prepping myself to apologize to Kim for the way that Samantha had acted. I stepped out of the shower, got dressed, and headed downstairs, saying goodbye to Aunt Sheila on the way out. She rasped a goodbye to me without turning away from the television. My heart dropped a little at the thought of her getting sicker with each moment, and made a mental note to get a doctor's appointment as soon as possible. Turning down the hallway to the elevator, I hit the down button, hoping and hoping that Kim would be at the bottom. I stepped in. The elevator was heading down when it stopped at the first floor. My stomach flip-flopped at the sight of Kim standing before me. _Play it cool, _I thought.

"Hey Kim!" I said, smiling with glee.

"Hi Jack." I was ecstatic to see that she returned a smile. Reserved, that's what she was. Not like any of the other girls that squealed my name when we said hello. I liked that about Kim. I liked everything about Kim.

"I've been meaning to talk to you. About stuff." I added, shoving my hands in my pockets and feeling really insecure all of a sudden. "I wanted to apologize for last night, first of all. Samantha was never my girlfriend. She wasn't even a friend. I'm sorry she treated you like that and i'm even sorrier I didn't step in." I trembled, waiting for her reply.

"Oh gosh, it's no problem. I thought it was kind of funny actually. I didn't know girls like that really existed." Kim returned, a sunny smile on her face. The warmth in my stomach immediately returned and I smiled back.  
"Okay cool, I just wanted to make sure. And also, I was wondering if you, um, wanted to like, hang out some time? I really want to get to know you better." I stammered. _OhshitwhydidIevenbothershe'snotgoingtosayye-_

"Of course we can hang out! I want to get to know you better too!" My heart almost jumped out of my chest cavity when she said this. My insides twisted up and I felt like jumping up and down.  
"Cool, so can I have your number? You know, so we can like get the details and stuff." I asked her.

"Sure." And with that, she wrote out her number, (carefully?) on a sheet of paper. We said goodbye, and I turned on my heel and walked down the hallway. Once the elevator was gone, I literally jumped up and down and said _YES! _Causing an old lady to get startled and glare at me. It was then that I realized that I was on floor one, and not the ground floor. I turned on my heel and headed towards the elevator, then suddenly changed my mind, and took the stairs.

When I reached the bottom of the stairwell, I glanced back and wondered to myself why I didn't take the stairs more often, and then made a mental note to take the stairs more often. I didn't have any serious plans today, and Jerry was doing some exhibition that I wasn't invited to, so I decided to walk around Seaford. Seaford is a strange place. It's located on the coast, so we're right by the ocean. It's small but social and oddly popular with tourists. I passed a new coffee store, and saw a tall brown haired girl working behind the counter. I love coffee. All the time. I needed to go in there some time. I smelt the air. It was that kind of cold summery smell, like sunshine and barbecue, like when it gets cold and you can smell barbecue. I feel like i'm crazy for saying that but I can smell barbecue every time it gets cold. I walked past my old dojo, Bobby Wasabi Martial Arts Academy. I made a THIRD mental note to call my old sensei, Rudy, and catch up with him. I missed him a lot. Ever since I graduated to third degree black, he went to go to Japan with his wife Bethany and star in some movie. I heard he's back and still teaching, so I needed to go see him. Rudy was like a father to me. He was the one that gave me the 'talk' when I was twelve, helped me study for my drivers license... he was even the one that got me into karate. I smiled to myself and kept walking. When the clock ticked 8pm, I decided it was probably best if I run home and get dinner for me and Aunt Sheila. When I reached my apartment door, I stopped and listened. There was a strange sound and then silence from within my apartment. I opened the door cautiously.  
"Aunt Sheila?" I called out into the dark apartment, with the blaring light from the television casting shadows on the couches and walls. She wasn't anywhere. I walked to the kitchen and found her laying on the ground. I screamed and fell to my knees and checked for a pulse. I ran out of my apartment, screaming "HELP, HELP!" And then dashed back inside to call 911. A few people came out of their apartments and seeing my opened door, rushed inside. When they saw the situation they dialed 911 as quickly as possible. 911 answered me first.

"Hello, what is your emergency?" A calm woman spoke to me.

"Oh god, come quick, my aunt's fallen she has no pulse I need help now!" I slurred my words together, tears falling out of my eyes as I quickly wiped them away. I gave her my address and she assured me that an ambulance was on its way. I thanked her and hung up.

About two minutes later, two women in white uniforms entered with a gurney and lifted my aunt on to it, checking for her pulse and trying to resuscitate her at the same time. They carried her out, and I followed. I followed them all the way to the emergency room. I sat in the lobby with my head in my hands, blaming myself for this entire thing. The clock struck 1am and still no word. I looked at my surroundings. The only other person in the room was an old man, reading a book called 'So your baby has a baby. What now?' The room was harshly illuminated by the fluorescent overhead hanging lights, and there was a lone snack machine in the corner, offering Twix and Cheez-Its for just $.99. I groaned on the inside. What is going on in there?

Finally, at about 2:30am, I was about to fall asleep when a doctor stepped through the doors and called out "Jack Brewer?" I sprang into action, fully awake and focused. He motioned for me to come with him. I stood and followed.

"Your aunt is okay, technically speaking. She is alive and conscious, and you will be allowed to see her shortly. However," he stopped me, "She is in bad condition. She suffered from a stroke, and cannot remember a thing. We will be keeping her here because she can no longer function. Jack," He spoke gravely but gently, putting his hand on my shoulder , "She doesn't have much time left. We're estimating about four weeks."

I crumpled, inside and outside. I fell to my knees, sobbing uncontrollably. Aunt Sheila had raised me since I was a baby and she was a young woman. Now she had a short amount of time before I was left alone. On my own. I couldn't breathe. The next thing I saw, was black.

I woke up with the sun shining through my open window. My mouth tasted gross and I rolled out of bed and remembering my horrible situation. I lifted my hand to my head, feeling my swollen face and pounding headache. I stood shakily and staggered out the hospital room. A nurse must've recognized me or something because I was being led to a bathroom on the arm of some lady in a candy stripers uniform. I leaned over the toilet and vomited. I hated this hospital. When I had washed myself up a bit, the nurse from outside took my arm again and led me to a numbered door. I stepped inside, knowing what was about to happen. There lay my beloved aunt Sheila, hooked up to various tubes and machines, asleep. I felt a hot flash as tears started pouring down my face again. A mysterious hand offered me tissues and I wiped my face with them. I bent down, kissed my aunt's wrinkled face and slumped in a chair. I sat there for many hours, gradually coming back into my state of mind. I walked out, and back to my apartment. When I walked in through my door, I avoided looking at the kitchen. Instead, I threw myself into the shower, turned it on full blast, and screamed. I screamed for some peace in my life, something to hold on to as I was spun out of control.

**authors note-**

**hey guys. thanks for all the feel better/belated birthday wishes! really means a lot to me and i am feeling better. about the story - i know it's been a bit depressing lately. i'm trying to highlight a real persons life along with some of my own experiences. so i'm sorry if its been a bit depressing lately. but it will be getting happier very soon! xo maia**


	7. Chapter 7

disclaimer- i don't own kickin' it

KIM'S POV-

_Ugh, _I thought to myself as I examined my puffy, red eyes and swollen, tear soaked cheeks. My post-crying appearance was always rough, and people could always tell i'd been crying. I stood on the pink puffy bath mat of my bathroom, leaning over the sink and running a hand over my face. I was meeting my parents for a few hours today for lunch. Two hours to talk about everything that had happened over the past four weeks. I often wondered why my parents had had me. I mean, I knew they loved me, but they cannot handle their jobs a long with a child. The second I turned sixteen and had a license, they dropped me in an apartment and sent checks when they needed to. I wondered what they would say if they knew I was thinking this. The only other person who knew about my feelings towards my parents was Grace, who knew what I was thinking every second of the day and who always had great advice and a comforting shoulder to cry on. My thoughts drifted back to last night when I had fallen asleep crying. I had woken up in the middle of the night to the sound of a wailing siren and men's voices outside my door accompanied by metal wheels scraping on a hardwood floor. I couldn't remember if that was a dream or not. I stepped out of my apartment door when my next door neighbor stopped me.

"Did you hear what happened last night? Some old lady's gone and fell down with a stroke." She spoke in a hushed whisper so the other neighbors wouldn't overhear. I shook my head no. She nodded and turned back into her room. _So that's what had happened, _I thought to myself. I hoped the old woman was alright. I didn't even know who it was. I could only imagine what the family of the poor woman was feeling now. I pressed the down button on the elevator and stepped in. When it opened, I walked out through the garage door to my car. Jack hadn't texted me yet, I realized. What if he became uninterested? Or heard something about me that he didn't like? I ignored the negative thoughts that were echoing in my head and flipped the lock of the car door with my key. Taking a deep breath, I pulled out on to the road, heading towards my parents hotel.

I arrived at the Seaford on the Sea hotel about twenty minutes later. It was an incredibly nice hotel, with gold plated floors and fine china and white lilies in tall elegant vases that were taller than I was. And in the midst of it all, my parents stood in the center of the lobby, with my mom's wild blonde hair rippling in the wind of the open doors, and my dad's sparkling brown eyes becoming animated as he told my mom a story. Time seemed to slow down in the space between my young looking parents standing there and me walking toward them. They turned to me and walked forward with outstretched arms. I felt my mouth muscles turn up in a smile, but on the inside I felt my stomach becoming heavy and my heart twist up.

"Hey Kimmykins," My mom's soft voice entered my ears.

"Hi mom and dad," I tried to muster some enthusiasm into my voice, but it came out as flat and broke down as an old car radio out in the middle of Oklahoma. Concern laced the eyebrows of my parents, but they knew I had moods. I was like this a lot, and usually never wanted to talk about it, but this time I wanted to. I wanted them to know how I felt about them abandoning me and my issues and my sadness, but every time I managed to gather enough courage to talk to them, they were already on the plane back to whatever country needed the most help. They were so focused on helping the other children of the world that they always seemed to forget their own. We all grabbed hands and walked into the restaurant adjoining the hotel.

One hour and forty-five minutes later, we were paying the check and laughing over a story that my dad had told about me when I was little. We had talked about me going to college soon, my parent's adventures in Africa, and me wanting to leave soon and make something of my life and of myself. My wanderlust was no secret to anyone. I made it known that I couldn't wait to be my own person and not have to live to anybody's rules or lifestyles. My parents nodded and understood. They always told me that I got my adventurous spirit from them, and that they were once like me. My parents got married in Seaford a year before I was born. From then till the day I was sixteen, had a drivers license, and could function properly, they worked in a laboratory, discovering cures for new diseases. Then they left. They'd always been distant, and it wasn't their fault. They had demanding jobs and they had tried their hardest to be good to me, and be there for me when I had no friends or I was made fun of. But I always had to be there for myself, to fix myself and lift my head high even when all I wanted was to lay down and cry.

Standing in the foyer of the hotel, we all hugged and kissed each other goodbye for another four weeks. My mom squeezed my hand and whispered

"We're always just a phone call away, Kim. If you ever need anything."

_No need to lie mom, _I thought, but I smiled and nodded an 'I know.'

When we were finished, I drove back to my apartment and got ready for work. I worked from 3 to 7:30 tonight with Grace, and I was glad. Now I had someone to really talk to. When I walked through the door, I felt my phone buzz in my bag. It was an unknown number. I opened the text and it read,

'Hey Kim. It's Jack. Hope I have the right number. Text me about when you want to hang out and stuff.'

My heart jumped for joy, and after saving his number into my contacts, I immediately replied,

'Hey Jack. It's Kim. I'm free really anytime, but i'm at work right now.' Feeling impulsive, I quickly added, 'Do you wanna hang out tonight?'

I waited a while till I felt a reply from my pocket. The text read,

'Where do you work? And sure, i'm free tonight.'

'The coffee shop down the street. It's new.'

'Awesome. I'll see you there. My best friend is coming with me.'

I rushed towards Grace and spoke as quickly as I could,

"Okay, so I was going to talk to you about meeting with my parents today, but that can wait because there are two boys coming here right now, one of which I could possibly be interested in, okay?" Grace's eyes grew wide as she passed the blueberry muffin towards her waiting customer and she nodded. A short time passed, and soon enough, two tall boys walked through the doors. First was Jack, who looked exhausted out of his mind and a bit sad, but seemed to perk up once he saw me behind the counter. I noticed Grace notice Jack's sudden change in behavior towards me and she raised an eyebrow. Behind Jack was a tall, hispanic boy with a camera around his neck. I saw Grace straighten up and I smirked. She was interested in the other guy! I was also pretty sure the other guy was the bassist from Jack's concert the other night, and on closer inspection I realized I was correct.

"Hey Kim," Jack smiled at me, walking up to the counter. Something was different about him. He looked older and tired, like something had changed in him. He was still cute, just different.

"This is Jerry, my best friend." He gestured behind him to his friend. Jerry grinned and shook my hand,

"Hey Kim, nice to meet yo-" His voice faltered and stopped as he looked up behind me and saw Grace standing there. I suppressed a smirk. Grace leaned forward and flipped her hair over her shoulder.

"This is Grace, my best friend. Grace, this is Jack and Jerry." I said, raising my eyebrows towards her with a look that said '_hahahahahayougotitbadddddd.'_ I saw that Jack was giving Jerry the look as well, but I don't think Grace or Jerry noticed because they were both too fixated on each other.

"C-can I get you something?" Grace stammered.

"No, I'm fine, thanks." Jerry replied, mesmerized.

Me and Jack rolled our eyes at each other at our best friend's love connection and moved farther down the bar.

"What's up?" I asked Jack, wincing at how juvenile that sounded.

"Tired. Haven't gotten any sleep in a while." He replied, turning away from me.

"Why?" The concern clear as color in my voice.

Jack swallowed heavily. "My aunt had an accident last night. She's in the hospital right now." He choked out. The pieces of information clicked together in my brain as I made the realization that the ambulance had been for Jack's aunt.

"I am so, so sorry. Is she alright? What happened?" I asked.

"Thanks, she's okay, for now. She had a stroke." Jack responded.

"Can I get you a coffee or something?" I offered.

"Yes please. I really need to wake up." He started to pull his wallet out, but I reached out and stopped his hand.

"This one's on the house."

"Thanks."

We both instantaneously glanced down at Grace and Jerry down at the other end. Grace was laughing with her head tilted back and her long hair spilling down her shoulders, the way she laughs when I tell her a joke. Her real laugh. Jerry snapped a photo of her with his camera at that exact moment, and she leaned over close to him to get a better view. I turned my attention back to Jack and saw that my hand was still on his. I smiled at him, took my hand away, and started making his drink. But I could feel him smiling back at me.

**authors note-**

**sorry if this chapter was crappy guys. i wrote this in the car. see you on saturday!**


	8. Chapter 8

disclaimer - i don't own kickin' it

JACK'S POV:

I had passed out on my bed. That was the last thing I remembered when I painfully opened my eyes and tried lifting myself out of bed. I quickly remembered Aunt Sheila and sprung into action to get her breakfast ready. _She must be starving! _I thought, until i stopped, remembered the situation, and slunk back on my bed with my head in my hands. I thought about crying some more, but my monthly tear supply had tapped out last night. I had gotten home at 3am, the clock read 10.30am. I had flashbacks to the ambulance, the waiting room, the news I had received... She's leaving me. In four weeks, she'll be gone. _This can't be true, _I whimpered into my hands, _the woman who had raised me is dying and then i'll be alone._ I needed to breathe and think this through. I tried breathing but it just came out in short, hyperventilated gasps of air. I needed to go see her.

_I hate the hospital,_ I shuddered, wincing at the sterile bleach smell and harsh lighting of the white floors and walls. I walked to the counter and a short, old lady stopped her paperwork to look at me.

"Uh, may I have the room Sheila Brewer is in please?" I asked her as politely as I could, still tired from 8 hours of sleep and no coffee.

"Of course, dear. Room 18B." She smiled back at me probably sensing my dismay.

I mustered a smile back at her and set off down the hallway. When I reached room 18B, I went for the handle, stopped, and tried to compose myself. But like earlier, my breath came out in sputtering. I clicked down the handle and stepped inside. Aunt Sheila was laying on her bed, hooked up to tubes and watching Oprah. She turned to see who it was. When she saw it was me, she broke into a huge grin.

"Jackie," She called out.

"H-hey, Aunt Sheila. How are you?" I wanted to punch myself for asking that question. How the hell do you think she is, Jack?

Her smile faded. "Come here, Jack." She said seriously.

I walked over to her and looked down at her. I remember when she was young and vibrant. Men used to come knocking at our door when I was little to ask her to come tango with them, but she always declined, and said she had a date with a little man and a board game. I smiled to myself at that memory, but immediately tried to stop when I felt tears and lightheadedness.

"Jack," Aunt Sheila said, reaching up to touch my hair, "I can feel myself dying."

I couldn't handle it anymore. "No." I said, my voice trembling. "No you can't be."

"I am, Jack. And that is life. I do not want you to be sad anymore. When I go, do not think of me as gone. I have lived a long and full and happy life. I have no regrets. I will always be with you, in your heart." She touched my face. I felt better, but at the same time worse. I nodded at her.

"Aunt Sheila..." I began, "Thank you for treating me like a son. Thank you for helping me grow up. Thank you for being my mom."

"You were such a special little boy, Jack. You had something inside you that I had never seen before. You still have it, whatever it is. It's behind your eyes."

She grabbed my shoulder. "Now listen. When i'm gone, you take care of yourself. Don't let anyone push you around. I know you never did, but don't let them. And if you ever meet a girl who makes you feel different, chase after her. Go get her."

I grinned and nodded. She smiled back and then sat up straighter.

"Now go. Oprah's about to come on. And remember what I said, Jack. I love you so much."

"I love you too, Aunt Sheila." And with that, I walked out of the room and shut the door.

I felt better. Refreshed even. I decided to call Jerry and hang out and talk to him a while. Jerry was cool in the way that we can talk about casual things like girls and school and shit but when we needed to talk about real stuff, he always had the best things to say.

A little while later, Jerry showed up at my door, his ever-present camera around his neck.

"Hey man," He reached up to high five me. I high-fived him back and let him in. He looked around for a second and stopped.

"Where's Aunt Sheila?" Jerry had a completely confused look on his face.

"She... uh..." I sat down and told Jerry the whole story. By the end of it, he looked how I had felt yesterday. Aunt Sheila meant a lot to Jerry too. She was practically his second mother. Then I added what she had said to me today, and he shook his head and agreed.

"Man, I am sorry. This... This hurts. A lot. But she's right. About everything." He looked at me slyly. "About the girl thing too." He added.

I rolled my eyes but he faced me again, looking serious,

"Is there a girl, Jack? Don't bother lying, I can tell when you lie."

I tried to avoid his face but he was right. I was a shit liar. I sighed and told him about Kim.

"Wow, she sounds smoking. Have you talked to her yet? Gotten her number?"

When I told him I had, his eyes nearly popped out of his head. He stood up so fast he fell back on to his chair.

"YOU GOTTA TEXT THIS GIRL, JACK. RIGHT NOW!" Jerry yelled at me.

I told Jerry to calm down and retrieved my phone from my room. Maybe Auntie Sheila and Jerry are right. I side glanced at my phone, and reached for it, before putting it down, then picking it back up, and then putting it down again. I exhaled through my teeth. Kim had given me her number yesterday... was that yesterday? It felt like forever ago. Anyways, I had to contact her sooner or later. I nodded my head and grabbed my phone.

'Hey Kim. It's Jack. Hope I have the right number. Text me about when you want to hang out and stuff.' I typed. I hesitated before I hit send, but when I did, I felt a nervous weight being lifted off my shoulders. All I could do now was wait. About two minutes later, my phone started buzzing.

'Hey Jack. It's Kim. I'm free really anytime, but i'm at work right now.' Five seconds after, another text arrived, 'Do you wanna hang out tonight?'

I nearly peed myself. My thumbs scrambled across the keyboard, typing 'YES YES YES,' but I stopped myself at the last moment and typed instead,

'Where do you work? And sure, i'm free tonight.'

'The coffee shop down the street. It's new.'

'Awesome. I'll see you there. My best friend is coming with me.'

I read the whole conversation out to Jerry, who squealed excitedly and ran for the door. _I'm gonna kill you one of these days, Jerry_, I internally screamed.

A few minutes later, we arrived in front of the small cafe. I looked at Jerry, who looked back at me. We nodded in unison and stepped inside. I spotted Kim at the back next to a tall brown haired model-looking girl, and smiled once I made eye contact with Kim. She looked tired, like she had had a rough day, but she was still beautiful as ever. I walked up to the counter with Jerry behind me.

"Hey Kim," I smiled at her, "This is Jerry, my best friend."

Jerry smiled and leaned forward to shake Kim's hand,

"Hey Kim, nice to meet yo-" Jerry stopped and looked up behind Kim to Kim's coworker. The coworker and Jerry were entranced in each other, and I saw Kim trying not to burst out laughing. I felt myself feeling the same way.

"This is Grace, my best friend. Grace, this is Jack and Jerry," Kim's voice chimed, raising her eyebrow at her best friend. I just looked at Jerry and smirked. _This is great._

"C-can I get you something?" Grace stumbled over her words.

"No, i'm fine, thanks." Jerry couldn't take his eyes off of her.

Kim and I looked at each other instantaneously and rolled our eyes. We moved farther down the bar.

"What's up?" She asked.

"Tired. Haven't gotten any sleep in a while." I answered, wondering if I was giving off too much information.

"Why?" _Aw, she's concerned. About me. That must mean something, right?_ I swallowed hard before answering,

"My aunt had an accident last night. She's in the hospital right now." I breathed out the words. I saw something flash across her face, but it was gone in an instant.

"I am so, so sorry. Is she alright? What happened?" Kim asked.

"Thanks, she's okay. For now." _That's a lie, Jack. She's dying fast and you know it._ "She had a stroke."

"Can I get you a coffee or something?" Kim offered, with the cutest sympathetic smile on her face.

"Yes please. I really need to wake up." I went for my wallet, but Kim reached out and stopped my hand. Her hand was soft and warm.

"This one's on the house." She said, her voice soft.

"Thanks."

We both looked down at Grace and Jerry who were on the other side of the room. Grace was laughing really hard, the kind of laugh that Jerry can get out of anyone. Jerry grabbed his camera and snapped a photo of her laughing. She looked back at him, smiled, and leaned closer to him to get a better view of the photo. _Wow, Jerry. Think you've finally met your match, _I thought. I quickly returned to Kim, noticing that she was watching them too with a smile on her face. She also still had her hand on mine. She refocused and took her hand away, but not before smiling at me in the cute way she always does. She turned her back to me and began making my drink. I felt my face light up with a big grin. After five minutes, she sat a huge cup of coffee down in front of me. The scent emanated into my face and I breathed it in with a smile. I took a huge drink, watching Kim who was watching me with her elbows on the counter and her chin in her palm. When I set my cup down, I looked at her,

"Do you wanna come over tonight? We can watch movies or something. Whatever. I don't know." I stuttered. She nodded her head immediately.

"I'd love to. What's your apartment number?"

I sighed with relief. "It's 3A. What time do you wanna come over?"

Kim checked her cell phone. "It's 3.45 now, I finish work at 7. How about 7.45?" She asked.

"Yeah, that works great!"

"Okay, cool! I'll see you tonight then. Do you want me to bring anything?"

_Just your perfect hair, smile, personality and body, _I thought to myself,

"No, just wear sleep clothes or something because that's what i'm going to do and I don't wanna be alone." I responded. Kim threw her head back and laughed,

"Okay, sounds great. I'll see you tonight then."

"Okay, see you later." I added while sliding off the chair and smiling one last time at Kim. I walked towards the register to Jerry, who was telling a giggling Grace a story about his family. Once he saw me coming towards them, he said one final thing while sliding a sheet of paper towards Grace. Grace picked it up, read it, and smiled. She nodded at Jerry and leaned forward to kiss his cheek. I swear, I have never seen Jerry so surprised or happy. It was nice to see. I grabbed Jerry's arm and walked out of the cafe, turning to wave goodbye to Kim and Grace. Jerry did the same, but with a fish-like face. When we got back to the front of my apartment complex, Jerry was still going on about Grace, and how she was from Spain, and how her hair smelled like cinnamon, and how he got the 'greatest photo he had ever taken' because of her. I listened to Jerry go on and on up until the part where he gave her his number and she kissed him. Then he stopped, turned to me and said ,

"What happened with Kim?"

My insides backflipped for joy when I remembered our interaction. "We're hanging out later."

Jerry jumped up and down. "EEEEEE!"

"Dude, stop. You sound like Samantha."

"Ew, don't remind me of that witch. Hey, i'll see you later, but good luck with your date," Jerry then stopped and added, "And thanks for taking me with you. I think I found the one."

With that, he turned on his heel and walked down the street with a confident stance. I shook my head and entered the building. Time to go get ready for Kim.

**Author's note-**

**hey guys hope you liked this chapter review/comment!**


	9. Chapter 9

Disclaimer- i don't own kickin' it

KIM'S POV-

I tried to make the coffee as fast as possible so I could return my attention to Jack, but I was so happy and excited that he was here I could barely focus. You know that feeling? When you want to do something really badly but everything else is taking forever? I hate that feeling. About five minutes later, I set the cup down in front of Jack, and laughed quietly at the face he was making, with his eyes closed and his face scrunched, inhaling the steam that was rising off the top of the dark black surface. I propped my chin on to the palm of my hand and watched him while he watched me back. It was funny, not in the laughing way though, just the cute way. When he finally set the cup down, he leaned forward, his eyes squinted like he was thinking when suddenly,

"Do you wanna come over tonight? We can watch movies or something. Whatever. I don't know." _He's so cute when he's nervous_, I thought while nodding my head in a yes.

"I'd love to. What's your apartment number?"

"It's 3A. What time do you wanna come over?"

I pulled out my phone and checked the time. It was 3.45, meaning i'd been here for 45 minutes. It felt like forever. "It's 3.45 now, I finish work at 7. How about 7.45?"

"Yeah, that works great!" Jack was so enthusiastic. My insides twisted up with nervousness, but I reminded myself that we're just friends, and we're hanging out as friends.

"Okay, cool! I'll see you tonight then. Do you want me to bring anything?" I asked.

Jack looked zoned out for a second like he was really thinking about the question, but then he answered, "No, just wear sleep clothes or something because that's what o'm going to do and I don't want to be alone."

_Oh my god, you're adorable._ I laughed, "Okay, sounds great. I'll see you tonight then."

"Okay, see you later." He smiled at me and slid off of his chair. What was it about Jack that got me so happy? I haven't smiled this much in a long time. I watched him make his way over to Jerry and Grace, who were laughing at something Jerry said. I saw Jerry slip a piece of paper over to Grace, and Grace picked it up, read it, and kissed him on the cheek. Jerry looked shocked, like he had just won the lottery. Jack grabbed Jerry's arm and waved goodbye to me and Grace, and Jerry did too but with the same surprised expression. When they were gone, Grace threw her hands up in the air and spun around to me.

"OH MY GOD, KIM, DID YOU SEE THAT! DID YOU SEE JERRY! I THINK WE'RE IN LOVE BUT I'M NOT SURE OH MY GOD KIM!" She started dancing around the kitchen, to the amusement of me and the other customers. Grace looked so happy, with her big white smile and her long tan arms outstretched as she pirouetted and pliéd her way around the cases showcasing the miscellaneous food items we sold. When she was finished with her little performance, she rushed back to me and started blabbering about the photo he had taken, and the stories he told her, and how god damn cute he was. She was in the middle of talking about his smile when all of a sudden she burst out,

"YOU AND JACK! HOW DID IT GO?"

I bust out laughing and shook my head at her. This girl was all over the place.

"I'm going to his place after work and we're going to watch movies and stuff." I tried to sound carefree and calm about this but on the inside I was screaming so hard. Just like Grace a second after I told her.

"GRACE. You are going to lose us customers, stop it!" I whisper-screamed at her. She stopped screaming, but not smiling or whispering 'omg'. I rolled my eyes and started washing dishes.

Four hours later, I was hanging up my apron and taking deep breaths, prepping my nervous system for hanging out with Jack. I still had half an hour before I had to be at his house, and my mind was racing at the speed of light. When he said sleep clothes, what did he mean? Like sweats? What if I cry at the movie? What do I talk about? How do I resist the urge to jump on him and kiss his face? I locked the door to the cafe and walked away in dismay. When I got back to my apartment, I stood with my back against the door, and exhaled hard. I went into my room and changed into sweats and my old Bobby Wasabi shirt. I put my hair up in a ponytail and paced nervously around my living room. When the clock read 7.40, I went into my kitchen, grabbed a box of popcorn for the hell of it, picked up my cell phone, and headed out the door. When I got to the third floor, I stopped and looked around. I had lived in this apartment building for a long, long time but I had never stepped foot on the third floor, never met anyone on the third floor or anything. To be honest, I didn't exactly know what I was expecting. It looked like my floor, and sad to say, I was a bit disappointed. I quickly found Jack's apartment and took a few deep breaths. I then knocked on the door.

"Come in," A voice from inside called out.

I pushed the metal doorknob and stepped inside. Jack's apartment was nice. It smelled like a boy does, not gross, but just kind of manly, like deodorant and stuff. Jack came out of a room in long pajama pants and an old shirt that had a band logo on it. He smiled once he saw me, and even bigger when he saw the popcorn.

"Popcorn? Kim, you are amazing." He said, leading me into the kitchen. I sat down on one of the chairs by the entrance, not really sure what to do.  
"D-do you want me to show you around or something?" Jack asked me.

"Yeah sure." I responded. I stood up and followed him around as he showed me to the bathroom, his aunts room, and finally, his room. I stopped in his room and admired his walls, which were covered in some of the same posters that I had.

"You like Neck Deep?" I asked him, surprised.

"Yeah, I love them. Why do yo-" he cut himself off and his eyes grew as wide as saucers. He was looking at my shirt.

"YOU WENT TO BOBBY WASABI DOJO? I WENT TO BOBBY WASABI DOJO!" Jack was flipping out. My mouth dropped. This was so cool.

"Yeah, I trained with Rudy. Do you know him?

"Rudy was my sensei too!"

Okay, this was cool. But it was also kinda weird and spiritual, like fate designed this moment. We high fived and started talking about Rudy and some of the stuff he said did, like when he won free falafel for life, or the time when he went through his whole nostalgic 'Just Us Guyz' revamp. We sat on Jack's bed for at least an hour, laughing and talking about Rudy, then stuff that had happened to us at school, since Jack and I both go to different schools and in different grade levels, and other stuff, not even realizing how close we were sitting to each other, or how our hands were so close I could feel his energy vibrating close to me. About an hour and a half later, Jack stood up, stretched, and declared,

"I'm hungry. Are you hungry? Let's go to McDonalds." He extended his hand, which I took and he lead me out of the room, before stopping, walking back into his room with his hand still in mine, and handing me one of his sweatshirts which I accepted with a smile and a 'thanks.' He nodded back at me with his eyes shining and sparking, and we walked out of the apartment, hand in hand.

Jack was a good driver, but he was a little bit impatient. I studied the way his thumbs drummed on the steering wheel when there was a red light, or his look of exasperation when a slow driver switched from lane to lane. I guess I couldn't blame him. I have a terrible case of road rage. We pulled into McDonalds, and the air was cold and sharp but it was electric as well. I opened the door for Jack and he curtsied before walking in to the restaurant, making me giggle. We got to the counter and the lady serving us greeted us.

"Hello, welcome to McDonalds, how may I take your order?"

"Can I get a value meal please? With extra fries?" Jack asked the lady before turning to me.

"Can I just have the chicken nuggets and a Coke?" I asked her. She nodded and typed everything up on the screen. Jack pulled out his wallet, and I did the same, and when Jack looked at me questioningly, I just responded, "First time, we go halfsies." Jack smiled at me and we both payed our half. We sat down in one of the plastic tables that have the swively chairs and talked about random things before our number was called. We sat down and started to eat, and I noticed Jack staring at me from time to time. The first time I caught him, I just scrunched up my nose and went back to my chicken nuggets, making Jack laugh and my stomach turn all warm. When we were finished, Jack decided that we needed ice cream too, so we got ice cream and sat outside eating it. I looked at Jack and he looked back at me, with vanilla ice cream on his nose. I laughed before wiping it away. When we were finished we drove back to the apartment, singing to the shitty pop songs that were on the top 40 radio. Neither of us can sing, but together I thought we sounded pretty good.

"So we didn't watch any movies, but we bonded and had McDonalds, which is like, better." Jack stated as we were walking towards my apartment.

"Most definitely. I haven't had this much fun in..." I thought for a moment, "A long time."

"Why?" Jack asked.

I sighed. Am I ready to open myself up to Jack? I really had just met him...

"It's been a rough past couple of years." I decided.

Jack nodded, understanding. He looked thoughtful for a moment, and then said,

"Earlier today, when I told you my aunt was fine, it wasn't true. The doctors told her four weeks, but she told me she felt like it could be any moment. I just thought I should tell you the truth." Jack said.

I stopped in place, feeling my face drop. "Jack, I-I'm so sorry. That's horrible, no one should have to go through this." I told him, grabbing his hand.

He smiled and nodded. "Thanks. It's okay, she lived a really long life, but she raised me. And it's hard for me to deal with."

I nodded, understanding. "Thank you for telling me this. I'm really sorry Jack, but I promise it will get better. I swear." I told him as I reached the door to my apartment. Jack didn't seem depressed, just a little sad, like he was trying his hardest to keep his head held high. He nodded and smiled at me.

"Well, thank you for an amazing night, miss Kimberley." He said, facing me.

"And thank you for an amazing night, mr Jack." I laughed.

There was a moment of complete silence with my back up against my door and his body so close to mine and I thought we were going to kiss. He began to lean in closer, but my mind had flashbacks to Connor and instead, I just stood on my tippytoes and kissed his cheek.

"Goodnight." I whispered into his ear.

"Goodnight." He whispered back at me, a smile lighting up his face. I unlocked my door and stepped inside. I waited for a minute, checked through the peephole on my door, and when he was gone, I spun around in circles, chanting _"yes, yes YES!" _over and over again. I was so happy. I was happy when I was taking a shower, I was happy when I brushed my teeth, and I was happy when I fell asleep, which was something that I haven't experienced for a long time.

**authors note-**

**hey guys. hope you liked this chapter. review/comment more please guys i've been getting less than usual and it makes me sad :((((( love ya xo maia**


	10. Chapter 10

disclaimer - i don't own kickin' it

JACK'S POV-

My eyes widened at the sight of my bitten-down nails, chewed to the quick. Okay, I was nervous. More than nervous, actually. I was petrified. Kim was coming over in 3 hours and so far I had cleaned, showered and made a sandwich. I sat on the wooden stool that was next to the kitchen bench, checking my phone once in a while. What if I made a complete fool out of myself? What if she hates me? What if I burn the apartment building down accidentally? I shook my head and cursed at myself._ Just be calm and be yourself. If she doesn't like that, she isn't right for you._ But I was praying so hard to no one that she was the one for me. Oh gosh, I wanted her more than anything. With her long blonde hair that shone wherever she went. With her big brown eyes and 'I don't care' attitude. She was amazing, and she had to be mine. I hopped off the bench, rolling my eyes at myself, thinking back to an hour ago at the cafe. We were shy of each other, but Kim seemed more outgoing than usual. Happier to see me, as well. I flopped down on my bed, groaning and peeking out at the clock from the corner of my eye. 5.30. I stared up at the posters on my wall. Neck Deep, Man Overboard, blink-182, and more were plastered on my plain white walls. I love music. One day, Jerry, Chris and I are going to earn enough money and leave for LA to pursue our music career. We aren't going to become the grocery-store tabloid magazine famous, we're going to play what we want to play and not any of the generic poppy shit you hear on the radio these days. Don't get me wrong, that music is catchy as hell. It's just not real music. My thoughts were now flashing and flickering through my mind at the speed of the light, my brain jumping from one thing to the next. Then I fell asleep.

An while later, I startled myself awake. I sat up quickly, threw my head to face the clock. 7.30! I flew out of bed and ran out of my room, only to run back and check myself out in the mirror. Sleep had done my hair good, and it was now messy in the good kind of way. I had long red and black plaid pants on that I usually sleep in, and my old Augustana shirt. I checked around the apartment to see if there were any red lights, and when I didn't find any, I congratulated myself by spraying whipped cream in my mouth from the can that was in the fridge. I went to go shut the door to my aunt's room when I heard a knock at the door. I froze in place, not knowing what to do. When I regained my wits, I called out "Come in!" The door twisted and opened, and Kim stepped inside. She had a black shirt on that looked familiar, and long gray sweatpants that fit her nicely. I couldn't help but smile. She always got a smile out of me! I then glanced down at the box in her hand, and I smiled even bigger._ Popcorn!_

"Popcorn? Kim, you are amazing." I told her, showing her away from the door and into the kitchen. I could tell she was nervous, and I decided not to be nervous to save us some awkward silence. She smiled and sat down at the wooden stool I was sitting at earlier.

"D-do you want me to show you around or something?" I asked her.

"Yeah sure," She responded. I showed her to the bathroom, Aunt Sheila's room, and finally into my room. When we got to my room, I turned to look at Kim, and she was staring with wonder at my walls.

"You like Neck Deep?" She said, still looking up at the posters, completely distracted. I on the other hand, was checking her out. She was perfect, like I'd been saying this entire time. Long legs, tan skin, and that shirt was really flattering aroun- HOLY SHIT.

"Yeah, I love them. Why do yo-" I had been saying until I realized where her shirt was from/

"YOU WENT TO BOBBY WASABI DOJO? I WENT TO BOBBY WASABI DOJO!" I freaked out. This was crazy. Kim's eyebrows shot up and her mouth dropped.

"Yeah, I trained with Rudy. Do you know him?" She answered.

"Rudy was my sensei too!" This was crazy. I tried to wrack my brain for times Rudy had mentioned kids in his other classes. Maybe he had mentioned Kim, but I was probably too busy to notice. We sat on my bed for an hour, talking about Rudy, and funny stuff that had happened to us. Kim was going to be a Junior at Seaford High, while I was going to be a senior at North Seaford High. I mentally noted how close we were sitting, and how her leg was inches from mine. I could feel the energy and heat radiating off of us, and it was electric. Kim made me feel alive. I also felt hungry. Very hungry. _McDonalds, _I thought to myself. Once Kim had stopped telling her story, I stood up and stretched.

"I'm hungry. Are you hungry? Let's go to McDonalds." What seemed like seconds in real life, felt like minutes in my head as I made my next move. I extended my hand towards Kim, and felt a whooshing rush of relief when she wrapped her fingers around mine. _This is how couples hold hands. But am I complaining? Heck no. _We walked out of my room, before I turned around and walked back in. I passed Kim one of my sweatshirts, which she accepted with a 'thanks' and a quiet smile. I nodded back at her, feeling my heart vibrate in my chest at the sight of her. I grabbed her hand, and we walked out.

The next thing I knew, I was driving towards the golden arches. I'm kind of an impatient driver. I hated red lights, pedestrians, and a number of other things that involved me stopping my car. It was dark outside, and you could see the stars. I love stars.

When we got to McDonalds, I inhaled the air. It was cold and sharp and salty, like winter in the middle of summer. Kim opened the door for me and I curtsied and batted my eyelashes before walking in, making Kim laugh. The scent of grease and fries hit me like a tsunami, but it was a comforting scent. We walked up to the counter.

"Hello, welcome to McDonalds, how may I take your order?"

"Can I get a value meal please? With extra fries?" I asked immediately. I turned to Kim.

"Can I just have the chicken nuggets and a Coke?" Kim asked our server. She nodded and typed everything up on the screen. I went for my wallet, and out of the corner or my eye I saw Kim's lilac blue nails pull out her wallet too. I must've looked at her with a strange face because she simply responded, "First time, we go halfsies." _First time? Was this a date? YES!_ We chose a table that was relatively less greasy than the rest, and also had the swively chairs. When our number was called, we grabbed our tray and sat down to eat. I couldn't help but watch her eat. I know girls are supposed to hate that, but I couldn't help it. She ate slowly and carefully, like she was studying the chicken nugget before she tasted it. It was adorable, and then she caught me. She scrunched up her nose and squinted at me, making me laugh and my heart twist up. When we finished, I wanted ice cream really badly, so I bought some and we sat outside on a bench, eating the frozen dessert. I mostly tried to avoid watching her eat the ice cream, for obvious man reasons, but I felt her eyes on me so I looked back. Kim burst out laughing and I felt cold on my nose. She wiped the ice cream away with her napkin that she clutched in her hand. I smiled to myself. As we drove back to our apartments, we sang along to the radio. My voice was so off pitch that night, and so was hers. But I didn't mind at all.

"So we didn't watch any movies, but we bonded and had McDonalds, which is like, better." I told Kim when we were walking towards her door.

"Most definitely. I haven't had this much fun in... a long time."

"Why?" I had to ask.

Kim sighed. "It's been a rough past couple of years." She finally answered.

I nodded, deciding I wasn't going to pressure her. She could tell me if she wanted to and when she wanted to. I felt like I needed to tell her the truth about Aunt Sheila.

"Earlier today, when I told you my aunt was fine, that wasn't true. The doctors told her four weeks, but she told me she felt like it could be any moment. I just thought I should tell you the truth."

Kim stopped walking, and looked at me with sadness and surprise twisting her face.

"Jack, I'm so sorry. That's horrible, no one should ever have to go through this."

I smiled. I felt okay, actually. "Thanks. It's okay, she lived a really long life, but she raised me. And it's hard for me to deal with."

Kim nodded. "Thank you for telling me this. I'm really sorry Jack, but I promise it will get better. I swear." She sounded so sincere and strong I wanted to cry, but I steeled myself when we got to her door.

"Well, thank you for an amazing night, miss Kimberley."

"And thank you for an amazing night, mr Jack." She smiled.

And then everything happened so fast I could barely depict what was happening. I faced Kim, who had her back pressed against the front of the door. We were so close I could see how long her eyelashes were, and feel her energy radiating off of her body. I felt something stirring inside me, but my mind was a total blank. _Do I kiss her? _But before I could do anything, Kim stood up on her tippytoes and kissed my cheek. It felt like a butterfly brushing its wings on my skin, but it was so right.

"Goodnight," She whispered in my ear.

"Goodnight," I whispered back.

And with that, she turned her back to me and went inside. The rest of the way back to my place and getting ready for bed was a blur. But I was smiling the whole way through.

_RING RING RING RING. RING RING RING RING. RI-_

"Hello!" I barked into the receiver. My eyes were squinted from the light I just flipped on in my room. It was 4am! Who calls at this time?

"Hello, Mr. Brewer. This is Cindy from Seaford Hospital. I called to tell you that- Well, I- I'm sorry..." That was the last thing I heard before the phone slipped from my hands and on to my floor. I heard Cindy's canned voice calling out from the black phone "Hello? Hello?" But I couldn't speak or move. It had happened. _Four weeks my ass,_ I thought to myself. I was alone. My mother figure had gone. I was numb.

I drove to the hospital, who then redirected me to the funeral home. They solemnly let me in and stood silently at the doors while I weeped over my aunt's deceased body. She had told me not to cry, but I couldn't help it. When I had finished crying and regained my breathing, a tall man lead me into an office, where he sat me down in a chair across from his desk and told me we needed to discuss a funeral arrangement. It all sounded like poisonous, black words spat at me from a faceless void in a huge chair. I just nodded my head to everything. A while later, another ominous figure walked in, introduced himself as my aunt's 'attorney,' and told me that I was inheriting everything. I nodded to that too. When they were through poking and prodding my heart till it was swollen and dead, they showed me the door, gave me a date and a few numbers. I stumbled out. I needed to hear someone. I called the first person I could think of.

"Yo, this is Jerry. I'm not here right now, but drop me a line and I'll call back yo." _Oh Jerry, I picked up when you were busted for marijuana, but you can't pick up for me?_

I needed Kim. She would know and understand. I dialed her number and waited outside under the streetlamp, wondering what time it was and if it was even real life. It rang for a while, and then a sleepy voice answered, "Hello?"

"K-Kim, I'm sorry I woke you, it's just... My aunt.. She.. died."

I heard Kim sit up in bed. "What?" Her voice was clearer now.

"She's gone."

"Where are you?"

"Funeral home, I think. I have no clue. It's all mixed up and confusing. I'm sorry, I just... I needed someone."  
"Jack, I will always be that someone for you. Do you want me to come get you?"

I swallowed, "No. But can you be there when I come back?"

"Always."  
Somehow, I made it back to the apartment alive, seeing as though I dodged every red light and stop sign. But I didn't care. When I returned to my door, I found Kim sitting outside, her knees to her chest, still wearing my sweatshirt. Seeing me, she sprang to her feet and threw her arms around my neck.

"I'm so, so sorry." Her voice was muffled into the collar of my shirt. I gripped her and nodded.

"I'm alone now." My voice was hollow.

"No. You have me."'


	11. Chapter 11

disclaimer- i don't own kickin' it

KIM'S POV

_Fa la la la la, hello, Mr Kitten! Would you like some milk? No, I'm not weird, stop calling me that! My name is Kim! Let me just skip over to-_ RING RING RING RING.

I woke up from my wonderful dream to the sound of my phone blaring in my eardrum. I groaned, extremely annoyed. I hadn't had sleep like that in ages, all because of... Why was Jack calling me at 6am?!

"Hello?" I asked, hitting the green answer button.

"K-Kim, I'm sorry I woke you, it's just...My aunt.. She.. died." Jack's voice choked out. He didn't even sound real. I shot up fast.

"What?"

"She's gone."

"Where are you?"

"Funeral home, I think. I have no clue. It's all mixed up and confusing. I'm sorry I just... I needed someone."  
I felt like crying. He sounded so vulnerable, and sweet. And for a good reason too. His poor aunt. I felt so sad for him.

"Jack, I will always be that someone for you. Do you want me to come get you?"  
"No. But can you be there when I come back?

"Always."  
Under normal circumstances, I would've been embarrassed and probably just said sorry. But this was serious, and I cared about Jack. _You care a lot about Jack. And you only just met him!_ My conscious screamed at me. _Shut up. _I answered. I got up, brushed my teeth, put on Jack's sweatshirt that I pretty much stole, and walked up to his apartment. I sat down on the rough, ugly green carpet and pulled my knees to my chest, looking around the eerily quiet hallway, waiting. Finally, Jack stepped into my sights. I stood up fast and grabbed him and wrapped my arms around his neck. I could feel the warmth of his tears soak into my shoulder and the shaking of his back as he struggled to keep in sobs.

"I'm so, so sorry." I spoke into his neck. He held me tighter and nodded.

"I'm alone now." He whispered back.

"No. You have me."  
It felt like we were spinning into oblivion. I got dizzy and we must've stood there for at least ten minutes, even though it felt like hours and hours. It felt so right, though. Like Jack belonged to me, and I belonged to him. When he stopped crying, he looked at me, his face pale and soaked. I used my sleeve to wipe away the wet tracks made by the tears, and I smiled up at him. He gave me a small smile, and said,

"Thanks, Kim. I feel better, I just.. I needed someone."  
I just nodded. I understood.

"I know what it's like to feel alone, Jack. But you aren't." I moved some of his hair out of his face. Jack hugged me again.

"God, you must be exhausted. I'm sorry I woke you up, Kim. You can go back to sleep if you want."

We were standing in the entrance to his apartment and it was still dark outside.

"No, I'm not tired anymore. D-do you want me to stay with you? And talk?" I asked him.

Jack nodded and unlocked the door. We stepped in and flicked on some lights. I walked into the kitchen, told Jack to sit down and started making him coffee. When the coffee was ready, we went into his room and sat on his bed.

"Do you want to talk?" I asked him.

"Yeah."

Jack proceeded to talk about his aunt, and how his parents deserted him when he was little so Sheila was practically his mom. Sheila helped him make friends, made him join the dojo, start a band, etc. She juggled Jack on top of work, bills, and whatever issue seemed to be happening. "Something interesting always was happening," Jack said with a smile.

By the end of it, Jack told me about what she had said to him in the hospital just 24 hours ago. Jack felt a lot better, and his face and attitude returned to normal. I hugged him again.

"When's the funeral?" I asked.

"Probably on Tuesday. Are you going to come? Jack asked back.

"If you want me to." It was Monday already, which meant my parents were already on their flight back home. I knit my eyebrows together, and my eyes pinched, but I waved it away quickly. _They didn't even say goodbye..._

"Thanks, Kim. My aunt would've loved you."  
I smiled at him. "Thanks." I yawned and stretched my arms over my head. Jack did too, and we both looked at each other with tired eyes and slumped postures. Then we started to laugh. A small laugh. I shut my eyes. It felt good, like flowers were opening out of my soul, as opposed to the dark and dirty air that I always felt like. The next things were a blur. I remember feeling like I was floating on a balloon and Jack's eyes closing. I didn't even know mine were as well. I felt too free to notice.

I lifted my head. It was light outside, and I was hot. I sat up to take off my sweatshirt when I noticed two things. 1. It was 1pm, and 2. Jack was next to me. Spooning me. Asleep. In his room. My eyes widened at him and I tried to remember if anything had happened. I slipped out of his room, out of the apartment and went down to mine. I shut the door to my apartment quickly, frantically trying to remember the details of last night. His aunt died, we were talking in his room, we fell asleep. I think that's what happened. I would've remembered anyways if something else had happened. I would not have let myself move that fast, no matter how tired I was or under the influence or anything. I barely knew Jack. And as much as I like him as a friend..._(Ha- my conscious)_ I would not have done anything. I was too insecure from my past relationship, where Connor used me, took my virginity, my dignity, my heart, and pretty much everything else with him when he left. The external me seemed cool and calm and inviting Jack into my life, but my insides were at a battleground in mid-warfare. Do I let him in? Is he good for me? What are his intentions? My thoughts are constantly yelling at me like over protective parents. I just wanted to slam my head against the walls some days, it was too much to handle. I walked into my bathroom, stripped and stepped into the shower. I needed to go clear my head.

I didn't want to go to Grace, and I didn't have my parents or any of my friends to talk to, besides Jack, who was probably still asleep, so I walked around Seaford. I cut into alleys, went into stores, and all that stuff. It was probably around 9pm when I decided to go back home. I took a shortcut and was immediately set on alert when I saw a suspicious looking couple walking towards me.

"Hey," A leering female voice called out to me, "Come here, we have something to show you."

I kept walking, a little faster now, but the girl grabbed me and held me down while the guy went to check my pockets. I snapped out of panic mode and leaned up and kicked the girl in the face. I swirled around and punched the guys nose and twirled just in time to punch the lady in the face. When both of them were down, I grabbed my items and walked away like nothing had happened. My phone buzzed.

"Hey i just woke up. what happened last night?" Jack seemed as worried as I had been this morning.

"We fell asleep together i think. nothing bad." I answered. I felt weird saying that so casually, but there wasn't really any way around it.

"Are you freaked out now? i'm sorry, i was so tired."

"No! it's fine. we both were." Is this not the most awkward conversation ever? I should've read more Seventeen magazine.

"Are you home?" He asked.

"Almost."

With that, I pulled open the door to the building. I walked up to my apartment, changed into pajamas, and made a bowl of ramen. I sat watching television until I heard a knock at the door. It was Jack.

"Going somewhere?" I asked him, on account of his sweatshirt and jeans.

"To see Jerry... Kim, your face is bleeding."  
My hand shot up to my face and felt around. Surely enough, there was blood on my hands. _How did I not know? That girl in the alley is gonna get it..._

"What happened?" Jack asked me.

"I almost got mugged, but I stopped them. I didn't even feel this happen.."  
"That's weird." He laughed. Then he turned serious. "I came to clear things up about last night. Are we like, okay? I don't want you to feel weird around me or anything.."  
"It's okay," I laughed, "It's not that big of a deal." _Kim, his arms were wrapped around you! You guys were snuggling! _

"Okay, cool, well, I'll see you around. Lets hang out on Wednesday?"

"Sure. Get me the details of the funeral though." I answered.

"Done." He walked away.

I sighed. He was gorgeous, head to toe. He had recovered so quickly, what his aunt said must have been really healing. I stepped back inside, to my long night of ramen, ice cream and Workaholics.

**authors note-**

**dumb chapter. sorry i updated late. review/comment!**


	12. Chapter 12

disclaimer- i don't own kickin' it

JACK'S POV-

"No. You have me."

Those words were music to my ears. My heart lifted and I felt tears fall from my eyes and my hands were shaking like crazy. I tried to open my eyes but all I could see was swirling colors and my head started to hurt so I shut them again quickly. My head felt like a balloon and I felt like if I tried to walk down the hallway, I would bump into the walls. It was a dizzy, numbing feeling. It was surreal like I was falling out of an oil painting and landing on the ground, trying to recollect myself. When I felt like my two feet were back on the ground, I cleared my head a bit and let go of Kim. I looked at her, unashamed of my probably very puffy face. She smiled her dazzling smile back at me and it was like the sun breaking through the clouds, I swear to god. Kim lifted up the sleeve of my sweatshirt which she still had on, and wiped my face. My mind was going a million miles an hour, my brain was like windshield wipers when you're driving in the middle of nowhere, in an empty state. It was a weird, relaxing feeling, like I was tripping out on some drug.

"Thanks, Kim. I feel better, I just.. I needed someone." Kim nodded at me like she knew what I was feeling. _Did she?_ I thought to myself. Probably. It felt like Kim had a lot going on under the surface.

"I know what it's like to feel alone, Jack," _Whoa, _"But you aren't." Her soft hands moved hair out of my eyes. I needed her. In my life. All the time. She was perfect. I hugged her again.

"God, you must be exhausted. I'm sorry I woke you up, Kim. You can go back to sleep if you want."

Kim shook her head. "No, I'm not tired anymore. D-do you want me to.. stay with you? And talk?" She looked genuinely concerned. _Damn, I must look worse than I thought._ I nodded and opened my door. It was dark and quiet. No more Aunt Sheila to take care of. A lump rose to my throat at the thought of having to go through her things, not having her to talk to, the funeral. _The funeral. Shit._ Kim pulled out a kitchen chair for me and I slumped into it, my back bent with a tired posture and my eyes and brain swirling like a whirlwind. I looked up at Kim opening cabinets and pulling out the coffee mix. There were many moments of silence as Kim poured the coffee into the mixer and the quiet whirr of the machine at work. I looked around and had semi-hallucinatory visions dance on the walls. I saw a blonde ponytail flash behind me and I jumped and turned fast. I didn't even realize it when I was walking towards my room. I was just surprised my legs worked. I was more dizzy and unsure than I was sad at the moment. I felt cushion under me, and I saw my bedsheets flash and then Kim's face sitting close to mine. I drank the hot coffee, that seared my tongue and burned through my heart. I yawned and refocused. I heard and felt music but I was sure none was playing. I glanced out the window. It was still dark and cold and lonely. _Autumns coming. _

"Do you want to talk?" Kim asked gently.

"Yeah." I said without hesitation.

Words just spilled out my mouth after that. Stuff about my aunt. But it was like the words coming out of my mouth made sense, but my brain was somewhere else. I came back to consciousness when I started talking about my aunt's final words to me. I felt back to normal, like something had clicked in my brain when I wasn't focusing. I didn't know what that was though. I was about to pass out, that's what I did know.

"When's the funeral?" Kim asked me. I realized she was wrapped around me again.

"Probably on Tuesday. Are you going to come?" I asked her hopefully.

"If you want me to." I felt Kim's expression change over my shoulder, like she was upset about something, but she quickly attempted to resume her normal face stature.

"Thanks, Kim. My aunt would've loved you."

Kim smiled and said "Thanks." She yawned. I could see how tired she was, even through my half-shut eyes and swirly thoughts. I could see colors and hear sounds and see things and I started to laugh. Kim laughed too. Pink, yellows, greens, blues all flashed in front of me as I fell into a big consuming hole. I was nowhere. It just kept happening, hitting me over and over again until I reached the bottom of the hole.

I was burning. My head, body and soul were burning. I woke up all sweaty and nervous, but awake. I checked the clock. _9pm? WHAT THE FRICK? Is it still last night? Where am I? Where's Kim? Oh shit... KIM. Did we do something? Shit shit shit shit. How the hell did I wake up so late..._ I rubbed my hands over my face. I grabbed my phone and texted Kim.

"Hey i just woke up. what happened last night?" I typed quickly, hoping Kim knew the answer.

"We fell asleep together i think. nothing bad." She responded

"Are you freaked out now? i'm sorry, i was so tired." _This felt too weird._

"No! it's fine. we both were."

"Are you home?"

"Almost."

I rubbed my hands over my face again, and got up to take shower. At least I was a functioning human being now, unlike this morning. When I finished, I went back to check my phone. It was a text from Jerry.

"Hey bro. heard what happened. come over. i made churros." I smiled.

"On my way."

I decided to stop at Kim's first. I tapped on her door and waited patiently. Kim's face appeared.

"Going somewhere?" She asked, noting my clothes.

"To see Jerry... Kim, your face is bleeding." Kim was still beautiful, even with her forehead gushing blood. Her hand shot up and her face got all worried. She made a disgusted face at her hand.

"What happened?" I asked suspiciously.

"I almost got mugged, but I stopped them. I didn't even feel this happen.." She mumbled the last bit to herself. _Damn, mugged? This girl is tough._

"That's weird." I laughed. Then I remembered why I was here. "I came to clear thing up about last night. Are we like, okay? I don't want you to feel weird around me or anything."

Kim laughed at me. "It's okay. It's not that big of a deal."

"Okay, cool, well, I'll see you around. Lets hang out Wednesday?"

"Sure. Get me the details of the funeral though."  
"Done."

It was weird, how casually this whole thing was going. Is this how most people were about death? I've never really experienced it. I didn't know how to act. I skateboarded to Jerry's house, which was basically a small house filled with spicy smells and Spanish swear words. I love Jerry's family, but they got to me sometimes. Jerry met me out front, churros in hand. He patted my shoulder, and we walked around, mostly silent, eating churros.

"I'm sorry." Jerry broke the silence. I sighed, puffing a visible cloud of air out.

"It's okay. But thanks."

We walked till 3am, talking about deep stuff, like drug addictions and death and our futures, and our band. _I wonder what Kim wants to do with her life. _Me and Jerry walked back to my apartment building, exchanged a few words, and said goodbyes. I fell asleep immediately.

**authors note- **

**sorry, i wrote this at 4.30am, i forgot it was monday. it will be getting very fluffy and cute soon! stay tuned.**

**i also really love teen beach movie, and DOES ANYONE OUT THERE HAVE KICKIN' IT MERCH. IF SO, WHERE CAN I BUY SOME?**


	13. Chapter 13

disclaimer - i don't own kickin' it

KIM'S POV-

Flash forward to Tuesday morning. I stood in front of the long, floor length mirror in my closet, fidgeting and fussing with the modest black dress I chose for the funeral. I had barely put on any makeup, and I my insides were a smoothie of nervous and sad. I took one last glance in the mirror and sighed. This was good. I walked back to my bed and picked up my phone. The clock read 8.30am, and the funeral started at 9.30. Jack is picking me up, along with Jerry. Jack had spent the past two days after his visit staying over at Jerry's, so I hadn't gotten to see a lot of him. As if on cue, there was a knock beyond my wooden door. I zipped up my shoe and opened the door. Jack stood there in a black suit, looking solemn, but tried to smile once he saw me. Jerry stood beyond him, wearing practically the same expression.

"Hey Kim," Jerry said.

"Hey Jerry."  
"Ready to go?" Jack asked me. I nodded and stepped on to the carpet outside my apartment, turned to lock the door, and then started walking with them.

The car was dead silent the entire way. I sat next to Jack in the front seat and Jerry sat behind me, not saying a word, with the exception of a little squeak when we passed the coffee store where Grace and I worked. We finally arrived at our destination, a huge crowd already winding around, crying, giving condolences to each other. I felt like I didn't belong here. There was so much black, it was like looking into the night sky, and the amount of tears that had fallen could fill a small pond. A few strangers came up to Jack, saying their sorry for his loss. Jack nodded and said the same, before taking us away. After a while, he clasped onto my hand and squeezed. I wrapped my fingers tightly around his. We walked around and Jack and Jerry pointed out who different people were,

"There's my Aunt Isabella, she was my Aunt Sheila's twin." Jack said, pointing at a bawling woman who was entwined in the arms of an old, portly man who I guessed to be her husband.

"That's Joey, Sheila's first real boyfriend."

"That's Maria, my aunt's best friend."  
They went on and on through what seemed like hundreds of people. Jack was starting to lighten up as he told me funny stories about the people he remembered, making me choke with laughter. Jerry had gone to the bathroom, and Jack was telling me a story about his aunt's friend and her new cat, when suddenly he looked up and stopped. He was motionless. His face turned into a blank slate. It was like someone had pressed the pause button on him. I waved my hand in front of his face. "Jack? What's wrong?" I turned to see where his eyes were pointed. There, standing in the entrance of the doorway, stood an older couple clad in black. It wasn't just Jack who was transfixed on them, it seemed like everyone in the room had stopped crying or having a conversation. The couple just held their heads high and walked into the room. Conversations slowly melted back in, but no one could stop staring. I was confused. Who were these people? I turned back to Jack, who's face had gone from confusion, to sadness, to anger, to nervousness in ten seconds flat.

"Come on." Jack spoke quietly, grabbing my hand and walking fast away from plain sight.

"Who is that Jack? Why is everyone looking at them?"

Jack opened and closed his mouth several times. Just as a sound was about to exit his mouth, a priest dressed in black entered the room.

"We are now about to begin the service, if you could kindly please step into the church."

Everyone filed in and Jack and I took our seats in the back, soon joined by Jerry. The priest said a few words about Sheila and her time with us, and how her death was a great loss. Then he started calling people up to talk. About four people gave long, tear filled speeches until Jack was called. Jack looked surprised as I was, and it was obvious he was not prepared. He stuffed his shaking hands in his pockets and walked to the front, his eyes darting to where the couple were sitting. The man and woman had wide eyes at Jack, and he turned away just as they were all about to make contact. He stepped up to the platform. Jerry and I inhaled nervously in unison.

"Aunt Sheila was not only one of my best friends, companions, and aunt, she was my mother and father figure. She raised me since I was small. I had known her since was a child, with her funny stories and Mexican candy and he statues of dogs everywhere. She was my teacher, my guide. She helped me through riding a bike, my first day of school, puberty and finals. Aunt Sheila was the most important person in my life. When we got kicked out of our home, she held her head high and immediately started working three jobs, on top of handling me. She was the strongest woman I had ever met. Tonight, I'll go home, and there will be no one to make dinner for, or watch Oprah with, or discuss life with. But she will always be there, in my heart. That's what she told me the night before she died. That she'd always be with me. She'll always be with all of us. In our thoughts, as well as our hearts."

There was a moment of silence, and suddenly the entire room was filled with bursting applause. Jerry and I exchanged a look of '_holy shit_' and stood up to clap. Jerry let out a "WHOOOOOO!" Jack soon rejoined us, shaky but with a smile on his face. I grabbed his hand and held on. Jack smiled, but his eyes kept checking to look at the mystery couple.

A while later, we all walked out of the church and into the cemetery where Aunt Sheila was to be buried. A large crowd formed around the casket, and a few women helped lower the coffin into the ground. There was silence all throughout the burial, up until we all broke away for the reception, where it was basically like the place we were in before the service. Jack, Jerry and I all sat in chairs on the outskirts of the room, drinking water. Jack was telling me a story when Jerry shifted towards us and widened his eyes.

"Dude, that's-"

"I know Jerry."

_Jerry knew who they were? Kim wants answers!_

"Jack, who are..." I stopped myself when I noticed that they were walking over here. Jack pretended not to see them, but swallowed hard and bit his lips. Jerry spoke into my ear,

"Kim, hey, let's go get some foo-" He stopped when he noticed they were standing right there. The woman was tall, with long dark brown hair, and the man had sparkly brown eyes. They both looked very serious, as if they knew they were outsiders.

"Jack." The woman spoke.

"What." Jack said back in a gruff tone, not even turning to look at them.

"Aren't you going to say hello to your parents?"

**authors note-**

**i start school today :( boo. i also rejoined the swim team, so i might need to change the writing days. love u all. bye**


	14. Chapter 14

disclaimer - i don't own kickin' it

JACK'S POV-

"Yo, dude. You gotta get up." A slight Hispanic accent called to me from my doorway. I groaned and rolled a pillow on to my face.

"Let's go, Jack. Big day today."

I sat up and glared at my best friend. Jerry smirked back at my bedhead and sleepy frown. He was already showered and dressed, which didn't bother me much. Jerry's always the first one to fall asleep and the first to wake up. The neon green lights on my alarm clock read 6.45am. I sighed and rolled off my bed.

Two hours later, five bowls of cereal and three cups of coffee later, Jerry and I were standing in front of Kim's apartment door. We knocked and soon Kim opened the door and half smiled. She had on a black dress and she had barely put on makeup and she looked beautiful. I tried to smile but I was too tired and too sad to even manage.

"Hey Kim." I heard Jerry's voice behind me.

"Hey Jerry." Kim waved at him.

"Ready to go?" I asked her. Kim nodded and we all started walking down the hallway. Soon enough, we were driving towards the funeral home. I started thinking about the people I would see there. Surely Aunt Isabella, Sheila's twin. She's probably taking it the hardest... Joey, her first boyfriend, Maria... Wait, what if..No, they were banished from the family... They wouldn't be there. I shook the thought out of my head. The car was totally silent, with Kim looking out the window and Jerry inspecting his nails. Finally, we arrived at the depressing looking building. People were already entering the building. I suddenly felt so unsure and nervous I was sure my legs were going to give out. I grabbed Kim's hand impulsively, and she squeezed back, which comforted me a lot. Family members, friends and acquaintances started crowding around me, saying sorry and giving me hugs and crying. I nodded my head and moved on, afraid that I might start to cry. I looked over at Jerry and Kim. Jerry was watching the crowd, his eyes pointing out specific people. Jerry practically knew my entire family line. Kim looked scared, on the other hand. She didn't know who any of these people were. I walked her over to the corner and started pointing out who was who.

"There's Aunt Isabella, she was my Aunt Sheila's twin." I looked at her, sobbing in the arms of her husband, totally inconsolable.

"That's Joey, Sheila's first real boyfriend."

"That's Maria, my aunt's best friend."

I remembered these people. I remembered how they smell, how they talk, how they hug, the gifts they've given me, the songs they've sung to me... All these people are here to celebrate the life of my Aunt Sheila. She was influential on all these people. I started laughing to myself at stories I remembered. I told Kim all of them, and she thought they were funny too. Jerry got up to go do something, and I was trying to remember the end of a story I was telling Kim, when suddenly I felt something in the room freeze. I looked up in mid-word and stopped. I had seen their faces, in photos, and I'd heard their voices, in videos, but never, have I ever seen them in the flesh. Except when they gave me up for adoption. My parents, aged and wrinkled, stood in the center of the room. I couldn't feel myself. I saw Kim wave her hand in front of my face and look towards the couple. I tried to speak but I couldn't. My thoughts ranged from _why are they here? _To _Why the hell are they here? _To _Why didn't they want me?_ To finally, _Please don't notice me, I'm not prepared..._

"Come on." I practically whispered to Kim. I grabbed her hand and walked to the other side of the room.

"Who is that Jack? Why is everyone looking at them?" Kim was really confused and I felt terrible for not telling her. I couldn't find the words to speak. Luckily, I didn't have to. The priest entered the room and spoke,

"We are now about to begin the service, if you could kindly please step into the church."

I sat there through the whole speech about how great Sheila was and how she will be missed. But all I could focus on was my parents. They sat on the other side of the room in the front.

"And now Jack Brewer, Sheila's nephew will come up and say some words." _OHSHITWHAT I AM NOT PREPARED._ I was also really not prepared to walk past the people who deserted me and abandoned me because they weren't prepared to have a child... But I did. I stepped up to the podium, and tried to still my quaking hands.

"Aunt Sheila was not only one of my best friends, companions, and aunt, she was my mother and father figure. She raised me since I was small. I had known her since was a child, with her funny stories and Mexican candy and he statues of dogs everywhere. She was my teacher, my guide. She helped me through riding a bike, my first day of school, puberty and finals. Aunt Sheila was the most important person in my life. When we got kicked out of our home, she held her head high and immediately started working three jobs, on top of handling me. She was the strongest woman I had ever met. Tonight, I'll go home, and there will be no one to make dinner for, or watch Oprah with, or discuss life with. But she will always be there, in my heart. That's what she told me the night before she died. That she'd always be with me. She'll always be with all of us. In our thoughts, as well as our hearts."

It was like fireworks. The applause roared so loudly, it was like the blood flowing pumping in my head, making my body throb with nervousness. I didn't even realize what was happening until I was with Jerry and Kim in the reception area. We sat drinking water in the corner and I tried to quench my nervous thirst. I just wanted to go home, get out of my uncomfortable suit, maybe change my name so my parents never find me... There they were, sitting diagonally across the room from us. I saw my mom catch my eye and widen her eyes. She looked stunned to see me. Jerry must've seen them too, because he leaned over and said

"Dude, that's-"

"I know Jerry."

Kim looked like she was about to scream, but all I could focus on was the couple walking towards us. My ears shut off, my head got lightheaded, I could barely breathe. And then, they were standing in front of me.

"Jack." The woman spoke.

I couldn't look at them. "What."

"Aren't you gonna say hello to your parents?"

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Kim's mouth drop and Jerry get all nervous. I tried to regain my wits.

"Who are you again? Because I'm pretty sure you just said you were my parents. Which is crazy, because I don't have parents. So if you'll excuse us." I said back, reaching for Kim's hand while gesturing for Jerry to get up so we can leave. The woman gave me a stern look and made me sit back down. The man standing behind her was in awe of me. He just stood there, not saying a word. I glared at him.

"Jack, we're sorry we left you, but we didn't want to take care of a kid. We were too young." The woman responded, unsympathetically. I rolled my eyes, but I felt like I was about to cry.

"Why did you even have me, then? Do you not think I've stayed up for hours on end, beating myself up over why you could have possibly given me up? I always wondered why I wasn't wanted, but you're older sister, who just passed away today, made me feel loved. And wanted. So goodbye, strangers." And with that, Kim, Jerry and I walked out.

Much like the drive to the funeral home, it was totally silent. I drove Jerry home who waved goodbye, and walked up to his front door. Me and Kim drove back to the apartment. Right when I was about to step out of the car, Kim grabbed my arm and pulled me back down.

"Are you okay?"

**authors note-**

**KICKIN' IT'S NOT ENDING! I WAS SO HAPPY I STARTED CRYING. but olivia holt's not coming back :(((((( i usually don't like girl characters on tv shows but olivia is literally my hero... maybe she'll change her mind!**

**hey guys, if you like this fanfiction, could you maybe spread it around a little bit? please? i really want to get 'out there' all your reviews and stuff really lift my spirits, i save all of them and put them in a folder on my computer to look at when i'm feeling sad. i love you all!**


	15. Chapter 15

disclaimer - i don't own kickin' it

KIM'S POV-

"Aren't you gonna say hello to your parents?"

My mouth fell open. _What? They were his parents? I didn't even know he had parents?_ Jerry got very flustered and put his thumb and forefinger to his temple like he had a migraine. Jack looked as if this wasn't even real, like this was his first time seeing them as well as mine. Wait... was it? Jack reeled in all his sadness and nervousness and stood up.

"Who are you again? Because I'm pretty sure you just said you were my parents. Which is crazy, because I don't have parents. So if you'll excuse us." Jack stood up and grabbed my hand and Jerry stood up too. I took the couple in. The woman was tall and 40-ish, but still looked pretty young. The man stood behind her, smaller and weasel-y. The woman was obviously the one in charge of their relationship. Jack did not appear to be find of either of them.

"Jack, we're sorry we left you, but we didn't want to take care of a kid. We were too young." What? Was this woman for real? Did she just say that? I felt my fists clench and I got very defensive. Who does this lady think she is, giving up the best person ever?

"Why did you even have me, then? Do you not think I've stayed up for hours on end, beating myself up over why you could have possibly given me up? I always wondered why I wasn't wanted, but you're older sister, who just passed away today, made me feel loved. And wanted. So goodbye, strangers." With that, we all turned and walked out, with Jerry and I avoiding eye contact with the strange people. We all got into the car and dropped Jerry off at his house, which was small but nice, and seemed to be full of screaming children. Pretty soon, we were in the parking lot garage of the apartment building. Jack seemed pissed as heck, and he began to get out. That's when I decided that he needed to talk about this or it was just going to bottle up inside him.

"Are you okay?" GOD that was a dumb question. I had a great plan, but so far it wasn't going so well. _Damn, Kim. _I scolded myself. _Pull yourself together!_

Jack sat back down and stared out the front. After a while, he slammed the palms of his hands on the steering wheel.

"FUCK." He put his forehead to the black leather and began to sob. I rubbed his back as he let it out.

"Jesus Christ, I've cried in front of you more than anyone else in my entire life. And I've only known you for a week."

I smiled at this. "Feels like so long." Jack nodded in agreement.

"What happened, Jack? What happened with your parents?"

He shook his head and wiped a tear off his cheek. He let out a strained sigh, the kind of sigh you let out after you've been crying and can't breathe through your nose. I handed him a pack of tissues I had taken from the funeral home. He blew his nose, and let out a barely audible,

"What the fuck."

I just sat there, waiting patiently.  
"They left me. A long time ago. They had me, then decided they were too young to take care of a child. They were gonna leave me in some sketchy foster care unit, but Aunt Sheila stopped them and took me. The family hated them. They always did. My mom was nothing but trouble. And that man she married, who is not my father, and never will be, is stupid and pathetic. They've been trying to get in touch with me for the past 8 years. But i'm not letting them in. I've been suffering through psychological warfare for my entire life. But it wasn't even me! It was them. I don't even know why I'm crying, Kim. I just wasn't prepared. And seeing them or hearing about them makes me feel like I used to. Unwanted."

I nodded, blinking back tears. "Oh Jack." I unbuckled my seatbelt and held him. "I'm so sorry. I know how it feels."

Jack looked at me. "You do?"

I nodded and took a breath. "My parents ditched me as soon as I turned sixteen. They were with me all that time, but they were too involved in work to really help me through anything. I was alone most of my life, and when they left, I was truly alone." _Except Connor, _I thought.

"Is that the 'rough couple of years' you were talking about?" Jack asked.

"Yes, but," I bit my lip, considering my next action. "There was a boy. He told me he loved me. He made me feel like I wasn't alone. He showed me to drugs, alcohol, popularity... All the things I thought I wanted. And I thought I was being loved, and that he cared about me. But he used me for my body, and dumped me as soon as he got what he wanted. I was stuck with addictions and myself and I didn't know what to do. I'd probably still be there if I hadn't met Grace. My parents were too busy to notice or care that I was showing up wasted out of my mind to school, home, even when we visited each other, which is still once every four weeks." I sat facing forward now, staring straight ahead, not even believing that I was saying all this out loud. It felt like that part of my life was really real, a part that I can never escape. I glanced at Jack out of the corner of my eye. He was staring at me, completely focused. But now he looked angry.

"How could someone hurt you? What the hell? If I ever come across this guy I swear to God..." He refocused. "Kim, i'm so sorry. You have it worse than I do. You're so strong."

"No, Jack. We both have it equally bad. But... we have each other."

Jack nodded. "Right."

A few moments went past. We were still sitting in the darkly lit underground parking garage, in our suit and dress. I reached over and took his hand, not afraid anymore. He smiled.

"Let's watch movies and eat for the rest of the day."

"Deal."

**authors note-**

**gaaah! i'm sorry if this is sucking right now. i have so many good plans for this story, but i have to let it play out first. I'm sorry if you've been disappointed with the last few chapters, i just needed to get all that business out of the way. i love you all!**

**IMPORTANT AUTHORS NOTE-**

**my creative juices are fine for now but vary all the time. if you have an idea for my story, please email me at maiakickfanfic . if it fits with the story, i'll use it and make sure to give you credit. i'd really seriously appreciate it! do not be shy! tell me what you would like to see in this fanfiction.**


	16. Chapter 16

disclaimer - i don't own kickin' it

JACK'S POV-

"Are you okay?"

My emotions were zooming in and out of my brain at top speed. I felt angry and sad and nervous and annoyed at the same time. My mind drifted off and my gaze was transfixed on the yellow-gray wall of the parking garage. My emotions slowly built up higher and higher and eventually I released them. I slapped the wheel with my hands and gave out a loud "FUCK." Tears poured out of my eyes and I felt Kim's hand rub my back, as if to say '_let it out.'_ And I did.

"Jesus Christ, I've cried in front of you more than anyone else in my entire life. And I've only known you for a week."

"Feels like so long." I nodded at that statement.

"What happened, Jack? What happened with your parents?" Kim asked me.

I tried to catch my breath and it came out in a huffy pant. Kim passed me a pack of tissues from her bag, which I gratefully accepted. When I regained myself slightly, I breathed out three words,

"What the fuck."

Then I began.

"They left me. A long time ago. They had me, then decided they were too young to take care of a child. They were gonna leave me in some sketchy foster care unit, but Aunt Sheila stopped them and took me. The family hated them. They always did. My mom was nothing but trouble. And that man she married, who is not my father, and never will be, is stupid and pathetic. They've been trying to get in touch with me for the past 8 years. But i'm not letting them in. I've been suffering through psychological warfare for my entire life. But it wasn't even me! It was them. I don't even know why I'm crying, Kim. I just wasn't prepared. And seeing them or hearing about them makes me feel like I used to. Unwanted."

I released it. All the tension I had kept up pent inside me I had let out to a girl who I barely knew, but whom I was in love with. Kim was crying and she leaned over to hug me.

"Oh Jack, I'm so sorry. I know how it feels."

"You do?"

"My parents ditched me as soon as I turned sixteen. They were with me all that time, but they were too involved in work to really help me through anything. I was alone most of my life, and when they left, I was truly alone."

_Oh, _I thought. "Is that that the 'rough couple of years' you were talking about?"

"Yes, but... There was a boy. He told me he loved me. He made me feel like I wasn't alone. He showed me to drugs, alcohol, popularity... All the things I thought I wanted. And I thought I was being loved, and that he cared about me. But he used me for my body, and dumped me as soon as he got what he wanted. I was stuck with addictions and myself and I didn't know what to do. I'd probably still be there if I hadn't met Grace. My parents were too busy to notice or care that I was showing up wasted out of my mind to school, home, even when we visited each other, which is still once every four weeks." Kim couldn't even look at me. And for once I didn't see Kim. I saw a girl in front of me, with longing flowing blonde hair and red cheeks and pale skin, angry at herself for the people who had ruined her, who had used her and abused her. I tried to picture Kim drugged out and drunk, but I couldn't. I got angry.

"How could someone hurt you? What the hell? If I ever come across this guy I swear to God..." I was pissed that someone could hurt Kim. How dare they? I tried to catch my temper.

"Kim, i'm so sorry. You have it worse than I do. You're so strong."

"No, Jack. We both have it equally bad. But... we have each other."

My heart jumped for joy at this, but I said "Right."

I felt Kim take my hand, and winced at how cold my hand was compared to hers.

"Let's watch movies and eat for the rest of the day."

"Deal."

The next morning, I stood in the kitchen, pouring milk into my artificial rainbow colored cereal pieces, when a messy haired, sleepy eyed Kim walked out from the guest room. She yawned and stretched her arms over her head, and rubbed her eyes.

"Morning, sleeping beauty." I cracked. She glared at me and stuck her tongue out. I stuck mine out back at her. She laughed and sat at the kitchen bench.

"Want cereal?" I asked her, holding up the box.

"No thanks, I get sick if I eat too early in the morning."

I raised my eyebrow at her, but then she asked,

"What are you doing today?"  
"I have a gig at 11.30pm, but I'm free after that if you want to come."

Kim nodded, "I do."

"Good, because I have a surprise planned."  
Kim raised her eyebrows and smiled. "A surprise?"

"Yes."

"Sounds exciting."

"It will be."

Then I added, "Are you gonna come tonight?"

"Unfortunately, I have to work. But you can stop by afterwards. Me and Grace will probably still be there."

"I'll be sure to bring Jerry then."

Kim smirked. "Sounds good. I'm sure Grace would love that." She glanced at the time.

"Ooh, I gotta go. I have a few errands to run. I'll see you tonight, okay?"

"Okay, lo- See ya!" _Jack, can you PLEASE control yourself!_

Kim smirked again. "Bye." And with that, the door shut.

Later on, I was standing in front of my mirror doing my hair, when I heard my front door open.

"Yoooooooo." Jerry's voice called out.

"I'm in my room!" I called back out to him.

"Ready to go?" Jerry asked, holding his bass.

"For sure." I grabbed my stuff and we were off.

People started to file in quickly, I guess they really liked last weeks performance. Jesus, I couldn't believe it was last week. I had met Kim, 'broken up' with Samantha, lost my aunt and met my parents for the first time in the one week. It was like Romeo and Juliet, for Christ's sake. We began to play our opening number and the crowd got really into it. I glanced back into the back wall, where I first spotted Kim. But this time, there was a security guard glaring into the crowd. We finished a lot quicker than I thought we would, and I grabbed Jerry's shoulder as we were walking out.

"Hey, I'm going to get Kim from the coffee store, Grace'll be there, you in?"

"I was just on my way there... Your brother's gotta date tonight! WOOO!" Jerry yelled. He then proceeded to tell me that they had hung out at the skate park earlier that week, and she turned out to be a pro. "Better than you, even." Jerry exclaimed. I was impressed. We walked out the door with Jerry still rambling in my ear.

_Ding,_ went the bell above the door as Jerry and I were enveloped in the scent of coffee. Grace and Kim simultaneously turned to look at us and smiled.

"Ready?" I asked Kim.

"I'm. So. Excited!" She whispered back. I smiled. "I'm gonna take a shower first, okay?" Kim nodded and noted my sweaty matted down hair and grinned. Jerry and Grace sat down and started talking about something, so Kim and I headed out.

A while later, I walked out of the shower, feeling a lot better, and saw Kim sitting on my couch watching Criminal Minds. I smiled at her wide eyes and startled expression and went to shake her shoulder. She jumped and clutched her hand to her chest.

"Jack! Don't do that!" I started laughing and she did too.

"Are you ready?" I asked her.

"Yes! Yes! YES." She bounced up and down. I smiled and took her hand. Jerry and I had found the secret room behind the fire escape route a long time ago, but I hadn't used it since. I'm not totally sure why this room was here, but it was at the top of the building, with huge floor length windows in the front that overlooked Seaford and you could see the stars at night. I had plugged in the Christmas lights I had hooked up a while ago, and put a mattress and pillows and stuff on the floor.

"Where are we going?" Kim asked.

"Close your eyes."  
I unlocked the door with a twist. "Okay, open." Kim gasped. She looked at the room, then me, back at the room, and then threw her arms around my neck.

"It's so beautiful." She breathed.

"Thank you." I smiled, holding her. She let go and walked over to the window, and stared over at Seaford. She pointed out her school, the coffee shop, her favorite record store, the ocean and Mount Seaford all in excited little breaths. God, she was so cute. I watched her, with her breath fogging the glass slightly, and her eyes round and happy. She turned to me. "Thank you so much, Jack." I shook my head and laughed.

"Look, it's starting to rain!" Kim squealed.

I grabbed her hip and pulled her closer and we both stared out into the horizon. A few moments later, she smiled up at me and sat down on the bed. We began to talk about our futures, and I asked Kim what she wanted to do. She looked down, and then looked back up at me with a very serious face.

"I want to leave, Jack. I want to go and live my life somewhere else. I've been preparing to leave for a really long time, actually. To New York, or somewhere romantic like that. I don't know."

My heart dropped but I kept my cool. She was here with me now, and I should focus on the present. I nodded, "I want to leave too. Soon."

Kim nodded and changed the subject. Pretty soon, we were sprawled on the mattress, and I was watching Kim laugh at something I said, with her nose scrunched up and her eyes squinted. _God, I'm in love._ It hit me like a train. _I was in love with Kim!_ I sat up so I was next to her and we leaned against the stair that separated the window and mattress from the rest of the room. Kim had stopped laughing, and was now staring back at me with her beautiful brown eyes. We leaned in closer and closer until it happened. I don't want to sound cliche, but I can't describe kissing Kim as anything other than fireworks and popsicles. Her lips were so soft, and her hands grabbed my face to pull my closer. _I'm in love. I'm in love. I'm in love._ It replayed in my head over and over again until I accepted it. Kim broke away and stared at me for a second before breaking into a huge grin and kissing me again.  
"Kim, what- what are we?" I asked her.

"I'm not sure, I... Jack Brewer, will you be my boyfriend?" She asked me very seriously. I looked back at this girl, who was once so broken but is now so strong, and so beautiful.

"Yes." I answered very simply.

"Good." And with that, she leaned her head against my shoulder and we stared out over the flashing lights and the falling rain over Seaford until we fell asleep.

**authors note-**

**BOOM GOES THE DYNAMITE, BOOM! kick is together! bang! i hope this chapter makes up for the other ones!**

**IMPORTANT-**

**so, i got a message saying that the different POV's got annoying. and then i got one that said it wasn't? so... please leave your opinion below. I like doing different pov's cause you can see the situation from both persons thoughts.. but if you guys want me to change it up, i will! thanks! xoxo maia**


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